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5 Steps for a Successful Business Shift to Online

Home Business Magazine Online

The way that business is conducted has changed dramatically over the past couple of decades. There’s been a substantial shift to the online realm as businesses have realised they can reach a much bigger audience via the internet. This shift has happened to almost every industry, including fashion brands like Gucci and supermarkets like Waitrose. Even the casino industry has moved online. While some offer both online and physical games, sites like Platincasino only provide online games which allow people to play from anywhere. If you want to move your business online, follow these five simple steps!

Choosing and setting up a server

When shifting your business online, you must first decide where your site will be hosted. There are two main options for business websites. You can use tools specifically designed for web stores, such as Shopify, or create a site and add plug-ins that turn it into an online web store. Which one you choose will depend on your level of competency. Additionally, consider the platform’s features, reliability, support, and pricing. Specially designed platforms will have more features and support but will be more expensive than doing it yourself.

Purchase a domain

Another thing you’ll have to do in the early days of your online store is purchase a domain. This domain will be your website address that people use to find your store, so it needs to be short, snappy, and related to your content! When purchasing a domain, consider whether you want it local (e.g. .uk) or worldwide (.com). Local domains are better for businesses limited by geography, such as building firms. Also, consider the cost of your domain, as some worldwide domains are more expensive than local ones. There are several domain-buying platforms where you can purchase your domain, such as Shopify, GoDaddy, and many more.

Set up the website

Once you have your platform and domain name, you must create your website. Some platforms have website builders allowing you to create a professional-looking website easily. However, these tools don’t offer much flexibility, so if you want to control your site’s design fully, you either have to do it yourself or hire a web developer. Make your site appealing by using high-quality images, having a clear brand identity, and limiting the amount of clutter on the screen. The better your site looks, the more likely people will stay and use it!

Compose payment and shipping methods

If your online business involves selling products, you’ll need to find a way to process payments and ship the orders to your clients. The dedicated e-commerce sites have tools that allow you to integrate payment systems into your website easily. However, if you’re doing it yourself, you must be mindful of your site’s security while handling sensitive information. Also, consider how you’re shipping your products to your customers, how long your average delivery will take, and how much you will charge for postage. There are lots of online companies that assist with the shipping of packages, so find the one that works best for your business.

Market your website

Once your website is complete and ready for business, you need to get the word out! Marketing your site is just as important as creating it because it doesn’t matter how good your site is; if no one knows about it, they won’t come! Creating useful content for users online, although it may not create direct conversions, is a great way to get potential customers on your site. Therefore, it is imperative that you learn as much as you can on how to write better blogs, as the better the content, the more value to the reader and the more they will want to navigate the rest of your website. You should optimise your content with keywords related to your business to ensure it ranks highly in search engine results. Consider advertising your business through social media or paid advertising via Google Ads or Microsoft Ads, as the more people that see your site, the more people will click on it.

Conclusion

It’s no secret that the world is moving online, with many aspects of our lives completely taking place over the internet. Consider following these helpful tips to shift your business online and ensure it gets noticed.

The post 5 Steps for a Successful Business Shift to Online appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Original source: https://homebusinessmag.com/businesses/website-development/5-steps-successful-business-shift-online/

Google December 2022 link spam update done rolling out

Google has confirmed that the December 2022 link spam update is now finished rolling out. The update took 29 days to roll out, starting on December 14, 2022 and ending on January 12, 2023. Google has posted it was completed today, January 12.

What is a link spam update. A link spam update looks to neutralize, or no longer count, links that Google finds to be spammy and against Google’s guidelines. Google wrote that this launch “may change as spammy links are neutralized and any credit passed by these unnatural links are lost. This launch will affect all languages.”

First time using SpamBrain for links. This is leveraging what Google calls SpamBrain, Google referenced it in the 2018 Google spam report, specifically the spam trends section where Google talks about its “machine learning systems” to improve search spam detection.

Google added that SpamBrain can not only “detect spam directly, it can now detect both sites buying links, and sites used for the purpose of passing outgoing links.”

Nullifying link spam.  Google used the word “neutralize” links, and in the previous link spam update Google used the word Google used here was “nullifying,” which does not necessarily mean “penalize,” but instead, to ignore or simply not count. Google’s efforts around link spam have been to ignore and not count spammy links since Penguin 4.0 was released in 2016.

Why we care. If you saw ranking declines in Google over this rollout period, it might be related to this new link spam update. Ensure your links are natural and follow Google’s webmaster guidelines. Work on improving your site to naturally attract new links over time.

As Google wrote with previous link spam updates, “Site owners should ensure that they follow the best practices on links, both incoming and outgoing. Focusing on producing high quality content and improving user experience always wins out compared to manipulating links. Promote awareness of your site using appropriately tagged links, and monetize it with properly tagged affiliate links.”

The post Google December 2022 link spam update done rolling out appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Original source: https://searchengineland.com/google-december-2022-link-spam-update-done-rolling-out-390572

Google’s December 2022 helpful content update is now done rolling out

Google has confirmed that the December 2022 helpful content update is now finished rolling out. The update took 38 days to roll out, starting on December 5, 2022 but was first noticeable on December 6th, and ending on January 12, 2023. Google has posted it was completed today, January 12.

As a reminder, Google’s helpful content update is a sitewide signal. It targets websites with a relatively high amount of unsatisfying or unhelpful content, where the content is first written for search engines.

What was new with this update. The December 2022 helpful content update (aka system) is a global update, impacting all languages and not just the English language. This will help Google’s systems detect more forms of low-quality content created for search engines and primarily not for people.

Google also told us this system was updated with additional signals to help Google identify more content created primarily for search engines versus people.

What to do if you are hit. Google has provided a list of questions you can ask yourself about your content. Read through those questions as we posted over here, and in an unbiased manner, ask yourself if your content is in sync with this update.

Please note if this update has hit you, it can take several months to recover if you do everything right and make changes to your content over time.

More on the helpful content update. Google’s helpful content update specifically targets “content that seems to have been primarily created for ranking well in search engines rather than to help or inform people.”

This algorithm update aims to help searchers find “high-quality content,” Google told us. Google wants to reward better and more useful content that was written for humans and to help users.

Content written for the purpose of ranking in search engines – what you might call “search engine-first content” or “SEO content,” has been frequently written about lately and discussed across social media.

In short, searchers are getting frustrated when they land on unhelpful webpages that rank well in search because they were designed to rank well.

Google’s new algorithm aims to downgrade those types of websites while promoting more helpful websites, designed for humans, above search engines.

Google said this is an “ongoing effort to reduce low-quality content and make it easier to find content that feels authentic and useful in search.”

Why we care. If you notice any ranking and visibility changes in Google search over the past two weeks or so, especially if those were big changes, you can likely attribute it to this update. Read Google’s advice, make the necessary changes, and hope for a recovery in the upcoming months.

We hope you all benefited from this update and if not, we hope you recover quickly.

The post Google’s December 2022 helpful content update is now done rolling out appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Original source: https://searchengineland.com/googles-december-2022-helpful-content-update-is-now-done-rolling-out-390569

Is Hiring PEO Services Worthwhile for UK Businesses?

Home Business Magazine Online

When getting your business up and running in the UK, there can be a lot to consider and keep in mind to ensure that you not only get off to the best start, but also tick all of the right boxes to comply with UK law and the requirements outlined by the HMRC. When all of this feels overwhelming and complicated, it may be time to hire Professional Employer Organisation (PEO) services to help you out.

What Can a Professional Employer Organisation (PEO) Do?

A UK Peo acts as an assistive service when outsourcing employer-related human resources. It can professionally handle all of the necessary protocols and functions when taking care of the needs of your employees. When entering into a co-employment relationship, you can expect:

  • Integrated HR services
  • Compliance assistance
  • Help with recruiting and hiring
  • Help with employee onboarding and training
  • Payroll management
  • Help with employee handbooks
  • Benefits administration
  • Unemployment administration
  • Help with workers’ compensation
  • Employment tax management

Benefits

Aside from the level of assistance and support offered by PEOs, here are some of the major benefits of hiring this service:

The Ability to Dedicate Your Efforts Elsewhere

As there is simply so much to take care of when considering employer-related human resources, it takes up a significant amount of time and energy to correctly handle everything. When you have a dedicated PEO team, you will not have the additional responsibilities associated with this and will be able to better direct your efforts and expertise where you need them most.

Peace of Mind

A huge, complicated workload undoubtedly leads to stress. Moreover, when you are not familiar with the processes of employment-related HR, you overlook some very important aspects that cost you money. (For example, you may miss a legal requirement that results in a fine.) Having a dedicated, expert team taking care of everything for you means that you can sit back and relax knowing that your employees will be happy, all payments have been made, and your business will be functioning at full capacity.

Not Designed to Replace Internal HR Teams

Some businesses may worry about replacing their current HR team and may feel like the firing process will be too stressful to undertake and end up not hiring PEO services when they need specialist assistance. The good news is that these teams are not actually designed to take on the roles of in-house HR operatives. They are instead typically employed as assistive measures when businesses need to reduce the time and effort spent on complicated or involved tasks that help them to remain compliant with the employment laws set by the HMRC.

As your HR team will not have to take on additional roles, they will also have the benefit of better dedicating their efforts to creating strategic initiatives, building relationships within the company, and sourcing top talent. In the grand scheme of things, this will help your business to function better overall.

The post Is Hiring PEO Services Worthwhile for UK Businesses? appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Original source: https://homebusinessmag.com/management/employees/hiring-peo-services-worthwhile-uk-businesses/

Five Ways to Fund Your Business

Home Business Magazine Online

It is not always easy to fund a small business. However, when you need money to get your idea off the ground or grow your company, you have options. Small business loans are just at the tip of the iceberg. You can fund startup costs with a business credit card or line of credit. You can try crowdfunding to raise money for your big idea. If you only need a small amount of money, a microloan might be the best option. In addition, if you want to grow your company, attracting investment dollars is the best way to do it. Here are some of your options to fund your business.

1) Small Business Loans

Small business loans are available from traditional lenders like banks and non-traditional lenders online. A traditional small business loan takes a little longer to get — usually, the application will take weeks to process. However, if you can afford to wait for your loan money, you will get a better interest rate from most traditional lenders. However, you will need to have been in business for at least two years. Moreover, you will need to show financial statements and other proof that your business is sound.

Non-traditional business loans are the way to go if you need money right away, for example to make payroll, cover daily operating costs, or seize an opportunity that might be gone by the time a traditional loan gets approved. You can apply online and the requirements are a little less strict, so the application processes quickly and you can get your money in a matter of days, rather than weeks.

2) Business Credit Cards or Lines of Credit

Business credit cards and lines of credit allow you to borrow as much as you need up to the credit limit. You can get a business credit card or line of credit using your personal credit score and finances, so they are easy to get even if your business is still very new. However, in order to make this source of funding work to cover startup costs, you are going to need to keep those costs to a minimum and perhaps bring in additional sources of funding, like personal savings or a loan from family. Once you are doing business, you can use a business credit card or line of credit to keep track of what you buy for your business, so you will have that info at tax time.

3) Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding is a new and popular way to generate the capital needed to start a business. You will need to build up buzz for your product online in order to appeal to your customer base and meet your target. If you use a rewards-based crowdfunding platform like Kickstarter, you will need to be prepared to offer donors something in exchange for their donation. Usually, people offer branded merchandise, event tickets, or early access to new products.

4) Microloans

Sometimes you just do not need a huge amount of money to meet your business needs. If you need a loan smaller than $50,000, you should consider a microloan. The U.S. Small Business Administration offers microloans of less than $50,000 to entrepreneurs looking to start or grow their businesses. These loans are not available through traditional lenders, but through a network of non-profit lenders. The microloan program is designed to offer funding to business owners in low-income areas and small businesses that would not necessarily qualify for traditional funding. The average SBA microloan in 2020 was $14,434 with an interest rate of 6.5 percent. Forty-seven percent of those loans went to businesses owned by women.

5) Investment

If you want to grow your business into a large company, attracting investment may be your best way to proceed. You might need to give up some equity in the company to your investors, and there will be an expectation that the business will grow exponentially, providing those investors with a big return on their investment. Venture capital firms tend to want to work with the kind of startups that can scale rapidly, while angel investors are usually more interested in investing in small businesses. You can find an investor using the crowdfunding platform like Mainvest, for small businesses, or Wefund, for businesses that want to scale.

Final Notes

Finding funding when you need it is one of the biggest challenges you will face as a small business owner. Make sure you understand your small business funding options, so you can get the money you need to start and grow your company and be your own boss.

The post Five Ways to Fund Your Business appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Original source: https://homebusinessmag.com/business-start-up/raising-money/five-ways-fund-business/

Make Money from your Outbuilding

Reading Time: 3 mins

Homeowners are seeking ways to combat the currently all-too-notorious rises in energy bills and the cost of living crisis that’s all over the news right now. From renting out your driveway to turning your shed into a source of income, there are plenty of ways your home could serve you in making cash.

One such possibility is for homeowners who have an unused annex or outbuilding that could provide ‘passive income’. Such an opportunity comes as new research from IW Capital found out that 39% of Brits view passive income sources as a way of complementing their income.

If you are lucky enough to have an outbuilding, keep reading to find out more.

 

How Much can be earned?

David Hannah, Group Chairman of Cornerstone Tax, posits that if these annex owners take necessary steps to create an Airbnb opportunity, this could open up an extra income averaging up to £6,000 a year: that’s two months paid salary for a median UK household. UK hosts on Airbnb collectively earned more than £1.5 billion in 2021, giving homeowners the decision to cap their own nightly price for the property.

Hannah goes on to state that while the demand for UK Airbnb properties is very high, and likely to continue this year due to key events like the Commonwealth Games and Jubilee, it is essential that homeowners do some serious research and preparation before opening up their properties to the public.

“We’ve all seen the rise in the cost of living and energy costs and, during the course of the pandemic, the increase in the trend of staycations. The likely restriction in consumer spending power may well encourage people to carry on holidaying in the UK. You may be facing increasing bills on your property and thinking that your unused annex or outbuilding could be used as an Airbnb for people who want to staycation in the English countryside.”

 

How to do it

Step one

Getting an annex or outbuilding ready to make sure it’s suitable for people to stay. That means you’re going to have to go through that building and make sure it contains all the basic necessities for living – it’s got to have somewhere to cook, somewhere to bathe, somewhere to go to the toilet and of course, somewhere to sleep. It’s got to be suitable for use as a dwelling.

More importantly, if you’re dealing with an annex, you’re probably already up to domestic insulation standards, but if you’re converting an outbuilding you’re going to need to think about insulating it. Making it green, maybe installing a log burner or some other form of heating. But ultimately, what you are going to need, above all else, is planning permission. This could take several months depending on where you are and the state of your property.

Let’s assume that you can get all that in place – what do you do next?

Aba Andam

Step two

You need to make sure that your annex or converted out building has a separate meter, not necessarily a separate account, so that you can recover part of the costs of electricity and heating against the income that you earn from Airbnb. The important thing is to count everything that you use wholly and exclusively in that business and put it into your accounting software and claim it against your income tax – maximising the return.

Airbnb, running holiday cottages, that’s a business of holiday letting and you’re going to need to register yourselves with HMRC as having this new trade so that you can do self-assessment returns at the end of the tax year.

Step three

“When you’ve got all that sorted, you’re ready to run and you’ve got to market it. This means you have to upload it to Airbnb, you might even want to build your own website to increase the promotion. You’re ready now, it’s open and you’ve got guests booked in. It’s a chance to make a separate source of revenue which is extremely useful in these times.”

 

Other ways to make money

Our editor Vicky Parry says:

“We need to all be thinking outside the box a bit these days. Understandably, if you are someone that has an annex already, we recognise that you are highly likely not someone in the same amount of financial trouble as others. We have, however, observed that these price hikes have impacted a complete cross-section of society, and it’s clear that we need to be thinking creatively how to monetise what we do have. On MoneyMagpie we have so many suggestions for everyone.”

 

Ask your money-making questions

The Magpie community is full of savvy money savers and makers – and now’s your chance to ask your burning questions!

The new MoneyMagpie Messageboard brings together the Magpie community, MoneyMagpie team, and vetted experts to make sure your essential money-making questions get answered.

Take a look here and register to post a new thread or reply.

The post Make Money from your Outbuilding appeared first on MoneyMagpie.

Original source: https://www.moneymagpie.com/make-money/make-money-from-your-outbuilding

Are vegan egg alternatives the future?

Reading Time: 2 mins

Are vegan egg alternatives the future?

Veganuary is in full swing, with over 800 brand spanking new vegan products being put onto shelves in supermarkets across the country. In recent years it has gained popularity, with one person signing up to take part every 2.4 seconds this year. 

In recent years, 85% of participants have subsequently reduced their animal product intake after taking part in Veganuary, with 23% of non-vegan participants remaining vegan long after January ended. 

However, 20% of participants of Veganuary 2021 said their biggest challenge was missing non-vegan foods, with 14% saying they felt the absence of eggs over any other non-vegan food. 

If this sounds like you, fear not. We have found a great deal for a vegan egg alternative. Hey, even if you aren’t vegan, or are not taking part in Veganuary, give this product a chance. Many bakers have been prompted to use OGGS, a vegan egg alternative, in their edible goodies due to the recent nationwide egg shortage. 

OGGS supplies plant-based egg alternatives make from chickpea water, commonly known as aquafaba. The company have been conducting trials with two of the UK’s largest bakery manufacturers, according to the business. 

The egg industry has seen sharp cost increases in recent months, with many egg farmers ceasing production altogether. The cost of using energy to heat animal enclosures, the spread of bird flu and increased animal feed prices have all contributed to the increased cost of eggs. 

OGGS also said they are not trying to totally vegan-ise existing bakeries and manufacturers, but rather they want to encourage the occasional swaps to reduce the environmental impacts and mitigate ever-increasing expenses. 

The benefits, according to OGGS include 95% less saturated fat and 85% less calories compared to eggs. Similarly, there could be an 85% reduction in carbon impact by making the switch. 

Fancy giving it a go?

MoneyMagpie readers can claim a FREE bottle of Scrambled OGGS this January. You can also get your hands on a FREE carton of OGGS Aquafaba from February 1st until Pancake Day (21st February). Claim this freebie using the GreenJinn app. 

You can pick up a FREE bottle of Scrambled OGGS® throughout January using this link. Scrambled OGGS® is also on offer in Waitrose and Sainsbury’s for £2.50 (RRP £3.25) until January 31st.  
 

Between February 1st and Pancake Day on February 21st OGGS® Aquafaba will be on promotion from £1. OGGS® Aquafaba is available from ASDA, Waitrose, Ocado and Co-op with an RRP of £2.  Or claim your FREE carton until February 21st using this link. 

 

The post Are vegan egg alternatives the future? appeared first on MoneyMagpie.

Original source: https://www.moneymagpie.com/make-money/are-vegan-egg-alternatives-the-future

How marketing compensation and roles are changing: Take the MarTech Salary and Career Survey

Although we hesitate to use the term post-pandemic with any confidence, marketing takes place today in a space changed — perhaps irrevocably — by COVID-19. Yes, marketers are making their way back to the workplace; many conferences and expos are back in person; it’s possible to meet and greet prospects face-to-face instead of face-to-video.

But the importance of digital marketing looks unlikely to recede. With it comes increased emphasis on digital content and digital experience, the expansion of ecommerce across almost every vertical and the interest in virtual events.

What does that mean? You guessed it: the growing importance of the digital martech stack.

The “great marketing reboot.” We’re also seeing big changes on the human side of marketing. Many marketing professionals have left the space; others have switched from regular positions to freelance or contract work. There are big opportunities — as well as challenges — for people in the early stages of their careers, whether as marketers or marketing operations professionals.

Data scientist and MarTech contributor Chris Penn calls this the “great marketing reboot.” We’ve introduced a new question into this edition of the survey asking if you’re witnessing the same phenomenon, whether in your own marketing organization or others.

Follow the money. We’re also asking, as always, whether circumstances are impacting salaries, in positive or negative ways, as well as your career trajectories.

As before, we’re partnering with Scott Brinker and chiefmartec.com to field the survey. It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes to complete, and we look forward to sharing the results soon.

Take the MarTech Salary and Career Survey

The post How marketing compensation and roles are changing: Take the MarTech Salary and Career Survey appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Original source: https://searchengineland.com/take-martech-salary-career-survey-391255

Meta introduces new ad targeting limits for teens

Starting next month, Meta will remove the option for targeting advertising to teen users based on gender. They’ll also end advertisers’ ability to target personalized ads to under-18 users based on their in-app activity, including who they follow on Instagram and what Facebook pages they like.

After the changes take effect, personalized ads on Facebook and Instagram will only draw on a user’s age and location to determine relevance (where location is necessary to assess which products and services are available in a user’s area).

Facebook and Instagram will soon roll out new controls for teen users (kids under age 13 aren’t allowed on those apps — technically). Teens will be given an option to “see less” of a given topic, shaping which ads the platform will serve them.

Why we care. Advertisers will no longer be able to target users under the age of 18 based on in-app activity nor target their age or location, except where relevant. You’ll need to restrategize if you advertise a product or service to users under 18.

Not new. Meta recently rolled out new privacy updates for everyone under the age of 16, or 18 in some countries. Starting in November, teens will default to more private settings when they join Facebook. For teens already on the platform, Meta recommends making these changes manually. The new privacy settings affect:

  • Who can see their friends list
  • Who can see the people, Pages and lists they follow 
  • Who can see posts they’re tagged in on their profile

This month Meta was fined 390 million euros ($414 million) after European Union (EU) regulators found it had illegally forced users to accept personalized ads.

Google blocks ad targeting for kids under 18. In 2021 Google updated its policies around minors online, letting those under 18 remove images from search. “Children are at particular risk when it comes to controlling their imagery on the internet. In the coming weeks, we’ll introduce a new policy that enables anyone under the age of 18, or their parent or guardian, to request the removal of their images from Google Image results,” wrote Mindy Brooks, product and UX director for kids and families at Google.

YouTube will change the default upload mode to private for kids aged 13-17. SafeSearch will be automatically turned on for those under 18 using Google Search. Those under 18 will not be able to turn on their location history.

The post Meta introduces new ad targeting limits for teens appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Original source: https://searchengineland.com/meta-introduces-new-ad-targeting-limits-for-teens-391259

Ray Arrington Sr Focuses on Gaining an Email Marketing Advantage and More

Home Business Magazine Online

Ray Arrington Sr. has teamed with Steven Alvey to assist entrepreneurs with improving their email marketing.  If done correctly, email marketing can achieve high returns on investment. Most home-based business owners use or have used email marketing.  There are so many different ways to market, and the types and varieties grow each year.  But email marketing continues going strong, and should be part of any marketing tool box.

One of the key challenges in email marketing is to avoid spam, or spamming.  This can result in negative reactions from recipients of spam email and being blocked from sending emails from an email marketing host.  So it’s important to consult experts in the field of email marketing, to reduce risk of spamming.

Home BusinessIn addition to email marketing, Ray Arrington Sr. has a well-diversified background. He is the author of the book Exhilarating Productivity by Improving Your Business and Your Life.  Ray describes this as a playbook to increase your productivity, your focus, and your discipline.  As Ray Arrington puts it: “Eliminate distractions, SMASH procrastination, and crank your productivity up to a level you’ve never seen before! This book is going to help you break through the walls that have been holding you back for years.”

Ray Arrington also provides business coaching. In this endeavor, he helps people interested in coaching to develop the right mindset and build the right skills in coaching. He developed a step-by-step guide on how high-ticket coaching is performed.  Ray Arrington also works in time management and focus. He has developed a step-by-step guide in time management. Specifically, he highlights the importance of shifting your focus to be more aware of your time. And identify the things that steal your time. Ray stresses that better time management can transform your life.

Ray Arrington Sr. is making his mark in the home-based business world.  To find out more about support he offers in email marketing you can visit RayArringtonSR.com/free

The post Ray Arrington Sr Focuses on Gaining an Email Marketing Advantage and More appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Original source: https://homebusinessmag.com/business-spotlight/ray-arrington-sr-focuses-on-gaining-an-email-marketing-advantage-and-more/