Your company’s website needs to be effective when it comes to capturing the attention of your clients. It’s often the first point of contact a new client has with your business, so you want to catch their attention, build trust, and communicate your company’s values from the get-go. If you find that your website isn’t keeping visitors long enough to convert them to customers, it might be time for a redesign. Or if your business is new and doesn’t yet have a website, you’ll need to work with a designer to create your brand’s online presence. In either case, you’ll need to get inspired! Having a better idea of what you want out of your company’s website can help your designer give you a new website you’ll love. Below are a few ideas to get your creativity going!

1. Using Eye-Catching Illustrations

When it comes to catching your clients’ attention, you can bring in some eye-catching illustrations that will effectively draw their attention to your website. In a sea of commercial websites littered with photographs, having some unique artwork will help your site to stand out among the crowd. Illustrations in a simple, flat style are also more lightweight than photographs, making your website quicker to load for visitors. You can even have animation effects that make the images almost pop out of the screen. As long as you keep these effects simple and clean, they can help guide the visitor through your site without distracting from your message.

2. Break Text Up with Variety

When attracting your clients, you have to keep in mind that you do not want to read a long, boring block of text. It would be best to break up your text content with a variety of different formatting types to help your readers skim through the information more quickly. For example, instead of a single block of text, try adding some bulleted or numbered lists; these make it easier for people to understand the content. Blockquotes are another great way to break up long sections of text, making the page look less cluttered and more organized.

3. Vintage Web Design

Vintage typography is one of the most popular designs in the past decade. The use of fonts that evoke the past but still look classy to modern eyes is one way to make your website look unique and very attractive. To add more appeal to your website design, you could even use a color combination or texture that looks old-fashioned and vintage. This will make your website look interesting and unique. This also includes vintage photos that you could use on your website to add to the aesthetic.

4. Think About Color Schemes

A great color scheme can make a website cozy, attractive, and relaxing for visitors. If you want your website to utilize color to its maximum effect, you’ll need to think about color schemes. Think about your brand’s colors and how you’d like for them to be highlighted on your website. Pantone schemes can be a great place to start looking for inspiration; these are already very popular with companies in all kinds of industries. Also consider using unexpected combinations, such as pastels and metallic tones. Sometimes, going against the grain is the perfect way to make your website stand out in visitors’ memories.

5. Tell them where to go

Easing navigation through your website is one of the most underrated principles of great website design. Think about how the website should guide visitors to the information they need. If someone has never heard of your company before, what would you like them to know? What do you want them to do while on your website—call you, send an email, or something else? How can you organize everything your business does into a neat package that doesn’t confuse or overwhelm visitors? All of these considerations are important. And while it’s your designer’s job to create a well-organized user experience on your website, you know better than anyone what customers are looking for when they come to your business.

Key Takeaway

This list is by no means exhaustive; there are all kinds of other techniques and elements that can come together to create an effective website. If you’ve been thinking of having a new website designed, keep an eye out and observe trends in other websites. You might find something you really want for your own site! We hope these tips have helped get you inspired, and we look forward to helping you create a website you’ll truly love for your business.

Insider threats in Cyber Security can be tricky, as most defenses against breaches and hacks are designed to protect against external attacks rather than threats originating inside the organization itself. The latest data breach at the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is a good example of how even an organization as large and sophisticated as the US government can be unaware of threats coming from within. An insider threat is someone in an organization who has access to sensitive information that is used to harm the organization. This harm can be done intentionally or unintentionally, but both scenarios can be equally devastating.

How can your organization spot potential cyber threats from within before they cause damage? Awareness is key. Below are strategies that an organization can use to stay vigilant and protect itself against insider threats.

Perform enterprise-wide risk assessments

To identify potential insider threats, an organization should conduct a risk assessment. This is a process where the organization surveys employees and creates an inventory of their current position and job function. A risk assessment should be conducted for every employee and include factors such as whether or not they have been involved in any suspicious activity, what access they have to sensitive information if they have been given any special privileges, etc.

Develop policies

It is important to develop policies that outline how information is shared within the organization to prevent insider threats from occurring. The policies should outline how employee data is handled and how third parties can access it. For example, do employees need permission to share information on social media? Are there restrictions on accessing certain types of information? The policy can also outline what will happen if an employee tries to share sensitive information with individuals who are not authorized to view it.

Document and consistently enforce policies and controls

To identify potential threats against an organization, it is important to document and enforce policies and controls. An employee who shares information with a third party without authorization will be identified as an insider threat. This is especially true if a third party accesses sensitive information without the proper authorization.

Create internal accountability measures

One of the best ways of preventing insider threats is by creating internal accountability measures. An employee who tries to share sensitive information will know that they will be held accountable for their actions. The measure can be anything from losing their job or getting fired, but this should always be made clear in writing and signed off on in a meeting that all employees are aware of. This way, employees know that they can’t share information without being caught and punished.

Establish physical security in the work environment

It is important to ensure that sensitive information is stored in a secure location to protect company information. This means that it has to be protected from unauthorized individuals who may try to access the information. For example, if an employee tries to share sensitive information that they shouldn’t have access to, they will be identified as an insider threat and threatened with their job.

Key Takeaway

Insider threats are a major problem for organizations. They can be caused by disgruntled employees, rogue government officials, or cybercriminals. Organizations are now taking steps to prevent these threats by establishing policies and monitoring the actions of their employees. Following these five tips will make it easier to identify potential insider threats in your organization and prevent them from accessing sensitive information.

There are many unscrupulous things that a hacker can do to get access to your organization’s information and steal it. They can break into accounts, share dubious websites, send fake emails, trick your employees into dishing out their personal info, and spread malware, among others. Hackers do all this using one of the most dangerous tools in their kit; the botnet.

What is a Botnet?

A botnet is a network of computers running malware that are all controlled by a master computer. The infected computers are known as zombies, and they all work to accomplish the hacker’s goal. The master computer is known as the “command and control center.” This is the computer that sends a command to all the zombies and gets them to do something.

Botnets can attack businesses in one of two ways; your computers can either join the network as a zombie, or your business could fall prey to one of the botnet schemes.

The zombies can get their commands from a single server or a website. This is known as a client-server model. However, this system is not common today. It is easy to shut down as the zombies only run if the website or server is active.

The peer-to-peer model is now the most common where the infected machines communicate to more machines in the network. These new infected machines communicate to other machines, widening the network.

How Do Botnets Spread?

Botnets spread through a Trojan. This is malicious software that gets into your computers through phishing emails, pirated software, or any other channels. If an employee unknowingly installs a trojan on a company computer or BYOD, the hacker gets access to their device and creates a backdoor. Through the backdoor, they can adjust the settings of the infected device and other connected devices, including company networks. The Trojan can stay inactive for a long time until the hacker decides to send a command to the PC.

When the botnet is set up, it allows the hacker (also known as the ‘bot herder’) to make the computers do the same thing at the same time or send out phishing emails and other attacks faster. They can send millions of phishing emails and millions of malware attacks within a short time. They can also use the infected network to coordinate DDoS attacks better.

How To Protect Your Business from Botnets

If a company computer or an employee’s BYOD is a zombie for a botnet, it will be slow and may lead to a breach of personal or company information. It makes your business an easy target, and the hacker can prevent your IT team or MSP from installing an antivirus. You can protect yourself by:

• Installing antivirus software and scanning for malware on all company computers and employee BYODs.
• Keeping antivirus and all applications up to date
• Monitoring your network for any unusual activities and monitoring failed login attempts
• Training employees not to download any suspicious attachments or attachments from unknown sources
• Ensuring that employees use an up-to-date browser when accessing the internet and stay away from untrustworthy ads and sites
• Having employees use a password protector
• Limiting network sharing outside the organization
• Working with a managed service provider to maintain these security standards if you don’t have a large enough in-house IT team

If your system is already part of a botnet, professionals use methods such as signature-based detection, flow-based detection, and honeypots to establish the malware. Businesses need to teach employees how to surf the internet without risking an attack. With the right employee training, you can ensure your business’ computers and data don’t fall victim to a botnet.

People have been using removable media such as CDs, USB drives, SD cards, smartphones, and pen drives to move data from one computer to another for years now, but these devices come with several risks. They can carry malware from one computer to the other, and there is always a chance that they can fall into the wrong hands, leading to security breaches. When handling sensitive business data, there is a need to employ the highest security measures possible. This makes the risks of removable media even more serious when it comes to an organization’s data. We’ll discuss some of these risks and how they can be mitigated below.

Data Security issues

As we mentioned above, there is a risk of data that you can carry in the USB drive falling into the wrong hands. For example, if you transfer data to a given computer using the USB drive, the data will remain in the USB drive if you do not delete it. Removable media such as CDs can be stolen, and unauthorized people will access the information. If an organization has stored substantial amounts of data on removable media, they risk the information falling into the wrong hands, exposing them to data security breaches.

Malware Infections

Removable disks such as CDs can carry malware that can easily infect computers if the autorun feature is allowed. Computer viruses can lead to serious threats like ransomware attacks, causing your organization to incur serious losses that could have easily been avoided. To keep your systems protected, there is a need to hire a team of experts who will run antivirus and monitor any threats to keep everything running safely. However, no amount of antivirus will protect a computer from user error. You should always be careful when using removable media to avoid cases where malware can affect company computers.

Copyright Infringement

The data stored on a removable disc may be copyrighted. For example, if you carry software in removable media and end up using it outside the licensed computers, then there is a risk of being exposed to the issue of copyright infringement. There is a need to ensure the data you carry in the removable media does not have any copyright issues. There are cases where people have been exposed to hefty fines due to copyright infringements. Take necessary action to avoid cases where the data will expose you to copyright issues.

Hardware Failures

Sometimes, CDs and USB drives can fail. If you use them as the primary storage for your data, they can fail at any time. For example, if you have a USB drive and it ends up falling in water, its data may not be retrievable. Hardware failure is an issue you should take seriously because it can lead to data loss. Some business data can be time consuming or even impossible to recreate if no reliable backups exist. It will be a big loss to your organization if the data is lost.

Bottom Line

There is a need to have a reliable backup solution if you use removable media to store data. Removable media can play a significant role in a business’ productivity, but they should be used cautiously and responsibly. Whenever possible, look for an alternative way to store data to reduce the risk associated with removable media.

There is no doubt that having a great website is essential for your business. It’s the first impression that potential customers will have of you, and it’s the place where they will learn more about what you do and how they can work with you. If you’re not getting the leads and conversions you want from your website, it may be time to make some changes. Let’s discuss five essentials for creating a great website.

Great Design

When it comes to your website, you work to better first impressions. If your site looks outdated or unprofessional, people will be less likely to trust you and do business with you. Make sure that your site is designed in a visually appealing and user-friendly way. The layout should be easy to navigate, and the colors and fonts should be complementary and consistent throughout the site.

SEO Optimization

This is one of the best ways to bring in more leads and conversions from your website. By optimizing the content in your website for search engines, you will increase the likelihood that it will show up as the first one at the top of the results pages when people search for businesses like yours. Many different factors go into SEO optimization, for example, keyword optimization and back linking. If you do not know how to do all of this yourself, there are plenty of agencies out there who specialize in SEO and would love to help you out.

Mobile-Friendly Design

In today’s world, more and more people access websites through their smartphones and tablets. That’s why it’s essential to have a website designed for mobile devices. Your site should be easy to navigate on any screen size, and the text and images should be clear and legible. If your website isn’t currently optimized for mobile devices, it’s time to make the switch.

Useful Information

Your website should be packed with helpful information for potential customers. They should learn everything they need to know about your business on your website, from what you do to how they can contact you. Make sure that all of your content is well written and easy to understand, and be sure to update it regularly so that it always looks fresh and current.

Strong Calls to Action

Your website should have clear calls to action (CTAs) so that visitors know what you want them to do. Your CTAs should be at the end of every page of your site, and they should be easy to see and understand. Make sure that your buttons and links are brightly colored and stand out from the rest of the page, and use action-oriented language to encourage people to take the next step.

Key Takeaway

A website is a valuable asset for any business, but it’s only helpful if people use it. If you’ve noticed that your site isn’t getting as much traffic or generating as many leads and conversions as it should be, it might be time for a redesign. A team of professional web designers can use these techniques to create a website that is effective and appealing to potential customers, helping you grow your business.

Broadly speaking, a scam is any scheme intended to defraud or steal from the victim. It can happen to anyone, not just older generations. Not even the most tech-savvy among us are above falling victim to these sly methods, so it’s important for everyone to always stay alert and practice caution. There are various means of carrying out scams such as phone calls, websites, letters, or even emails. Scams are getting even harder to spot as time goes by, so we’re here to help by offering some advice. Below are some of the most common types of scams out there and what you can do to keep yourself safe.

Common Scam Types

The first step in staying safe is to be prepared and know what to look out for. In today’s digital age, scams can take on all kinds of forms. We’ll take a look at a few of the most common ones below.

• Accommodation Scams—In this common scam type, an individual or group poses as a company selling or renting an apartment or house. One receives a request to deposit money into an account, with the scammers vanishing right after completing the transaction.
• Antivirus Scams—This is where you receive a notification or call informing you of a computer virus or malware. Then the scammer claims that they can repair the computer by installing their software. The software allows them access to your files containing passwords and other data they may use directly or make you pay them to retrieve that data.
• Charity Scams—These occur when victims send money to scammers while thinking they are donating to charity.
• Classified Scams—These have cons artists pose as sellers on online stores, who make you pay for goods that do not exist.
• Free Trial Scams—In this favorite for online scammers, a product is advertised at a low price or for free. After signing up, one has to pay for a pretty expensive subscription service that is hard to unsubscribe.
• Catfishing—Some scammers also use romance as a means by getting into dating sites and convincing an online ‘lover’ to help them out by sending money or gift cards to them. They gain personal details and end up stealing from them.

How to avoid scams

While these scams can take on a wide variety of forms, they all rely on their victims to make similar mistakes. By practicing a handful of good habits, you can spot most scams and avoid them before it’s too late.

• Avoid Clicking, downloading, or replying to messages whose origins you do not know. Most victims of scams tend to click on sites and links that redirect them to the scammer’s website and reveal their data.
• Invest in reliable antivirus software. With hackers being able to access your data remotely, one would be better off investing in reliable software to protect them from malware attacks. While even the best antivirus software is no substitute for vigilance and good digital hygiene, it’s an important line of defense for business and personal devices alike.
• Cancel all forms of communication with romance scammers. Trust your gut and cut off all contact if you feel the person on the other side is not genuine. Do not send money to anyone you meet online, especially if you have never met them physically.
• Report all cases where you have been or were close to being scammed. The more data law enforcement agencies have, the easier it is to catch and apprehend these online scammers.

Key Takeaway

Different scams come up every day, so one must stay vigilant and pay attention to any information you read, especially online. It may save you a world of trouble and keep your money in your wallet. It’s better to browse slow and skeptical but safe and happy.

You no doubt know that a strong social media presence is an essential part of any business’ marketing strategy these days. What’s not so easy is figuring out a strategy that your audience connects with—not to mention finding the time to post regularly and carry out that strategy. That’s where Professional social media management comes in. A good social media management company can help you create a strong social media strategy, grow your online presence, and increase sales. They will help you to identify your target audience, determine your goals, and create a plan of action. They can also help you grow your online presence and choose the right social media platforms for your business and create effective content.

1. Increased Brand Awareness

A well-managed social media presence can help you to increase brand awareness. Most people prefer to purchase products and services from companies they have a good impression of and feel a connection to. Social media can help you to create brand advocates, share your story with customers, and increase your sales. In addition, a good social media management company is able to increase brand awareness by monitoring your social media platforms and reporting on the performance of your social media campaigns.

2. More Inbound Traffic

Social media is a great way to increase traffic and engagement with your website. A good social media management company can help you to find the best platforms for your business, manage conversations, and create content that helps you to increase traffic and engagement. The better your posts can catch the interest of a potential customer, the more likely it is that they’ll click through and land on your website.

3. Gain Marketplace Insights

A good social media management company is able to monitor your social media platforms and share the data with you. This can help you to identify and understand the trends in your industry, find out the best time to post, and optimize your social media accounts. This means they can help you to gain valuable marketplace insights. They can monitor the performance of your social media campaigns and home in on the campaigns that generate more impressions and click throughs.

5. Higher Conversion Rates

Conversion rates are one of the most important metrics for online businesses. As we mentioned above, a good social media management company can determine which campaigns are most likely to bring traffic to your website—but their insights can go beyond this. They can also create landing pages on your website to gather data about which social media campaigns are most likely to convert to sales once they visit the website. The end result is incredibly effective content that attracts more traffic that is relevant to your business.

4. Improved Search Engine Rankings

While any good social media management company should be able to do the things we discussed above, the best ones can go beyond to improve your website’s relevant traffic on multiple fronts, including search engines. A great social media presence is an important part of a well-rounded search engine optimization strategy, so both marketing avenues go hand in hand. Search engines tend to favor a website that gets lots of links and traffic from outside sources such as social media. A great social media management team understands this mutualistic relationship between search engines and social media, and they can utilize both strategies to maximize relevant traffic to your website.

conclusion

Professional social media management is an essential part of your marketing strategy. Social media has brought a lot of benefits to the world. It has helped people to discover new things, create communities and share information. In addition, it has helped to connect the world and businesses. Employ the best social media management company to help you get the most out of this phenomenon.

There are several alternatives out there in today’s digital age when it comes to establishing your website, often without the need for much knowledge or experience at all. Many solutions such as Squarespace, WordPress, and Wix always offer businesses and individuals the opportunity to quickly create entire sites at a fraction of a professional web developer’s cost. Nonetheless, as tempting as it may appear to Do-It-Yourself (DIY) when you are on a startup financial plan, it would be wise to consider hiring a professional web designer since they will add value to your business. There are several advantages associated with hiring an experienced Web designer as opposed to DIY, as will be discussed.

What is a DIY Website?

DIY website tools offer a way of creating a website yourself without the need to hire a professional designer. Earlier websites had to be manually written using HTML or programming languages like PHP. Today, the digital space has enabled individuals and businesses alike to build their websites using a prebuilt template. Many people do not have time to learn to code and build their websites from scratch, so they usually rely on the web design template.

Why People Choose DIY

• With a DIY website builder, you always have the end product in front of you. DIY templates are often almost ready to go out of the box, only requiring you to fill out your business name and some essential details. This makes them an extremely fast option for people on time constraints.
• DIY website builders typically offer a reasonable price and are very easy to access—a business owner or freelancer simply needs to open an account online, and they can get started immediately.

Potential Pitfalls of DIY

• Due to the use of prebuilt templates, there is a high chance that the website you create may be similar to the ones already on the web.
• Many DIY Website builders force you to display ads on your website.
• Website customization is often very limited, forcing you to stick to restrictive templates.
• It can be Challenging or impossible to move your website to a different platform down the line.
• DIY website builders often offer limited search engine optimization tools, making it difficult for your website to rank well on Google or other search engines.

What are the Benefits of Hiring a Web Design Agency Over DIY?

Having a long-term plan for your business is essential to compete; your business will benefit from hiring a professional web designer instead. So here are some reasons why you should hire a web design agency.

Better Understanding of the Industry

Having solid growth long-term growth in revenue is essential for your company. Your website usually occupies center stage in improving your brand equity. Nevertheless, it is equally necessary to understand the business to craft strategies for your website. A professional web designer can assist you in designing a high-quality website that will satisfy your objectives due to their experience.

Unlimited Growth

As you may have guessed from the pitfalls discussed above, DIY websites are often limited when it comes to growth. Most people complain that DIY websites have no prospect of migration, and the skills you pick up using one tool usually don’t transfer over to other platforms. For this reason, you should consider hiring a web design agency that will help your business develop a scalable and versatile website that can account for and enable future business growth.

Excellent Design

Businesses should have well-designed websites that keep visitors engaged as long as possible. Longer visitor retention time not only increases the chance that a visitor will become a sale, but it also helps your website garner SEO brownie points. A web design agency can employ their experience and offer several designs centered on the workflow of your website, and an agency can test these designs to see which one retains visitors longer. An experienced designer’s work will also consider the latest web design innovations and industry best practices.

Reliable and Responsive Web Design

The majority of your audience may access your website via their smartphones. It is essential to know that your website should be reliable and responsive to ensure that your audience has a smooth experience through all devices. Unlike a DIY website, hiring a web design agency would ensure responsiveness and cater to all visitors over any device.

Conclusion

A well-crafted website is essential for conveying your message to your visitors. Your website should have an optimal workflow that increases audience retention and improves conversion rates. Hiring a web design agency with skills and experience in designing helps your business grow with a versatile, scalable website that communicates your brand effectively. While DIY website builders can be an easy way to get something online in a pinch, they’re no replacement for a team who understands how to build an effective website that converts.

UPDATED DECEMBER 2021.

Information technology can get complicated very quickly, and digital image files are no exception to this rule. You’ve likely come across a few of the different types of image files such as JPEGs, GIFs, PNGs, and others. You’ve also likely wondered what the difference is between all of these different abbreviations. That’s why we’ve put together an infographic comparing some of the most common types of files you’re likely to encounter on and create for the web. We use this information in-house in our San Marcos TX based web design firm.

In this graphic, we take a play-by-play look at the different properties of digital images and how the properties relate to each file type. We hope you’ll find the information useful whether you’re an image newbie or a seasoned graphic designer. Skip below the infographic if you prefer to digest the information in text form.

Meet the Players

Before getting into the details, we’ll begin by briefly introducing a few of the most common file types you’re likely to see on the web.

• JPEG—The versatile go-to for photographs and complex images.
• PNG-8—Ideal for simple, clean graphics like logos and icons.
• GIF—Responsible for all those animated reaction shots.
• PNG-24—The one that can be layered seamlessly on top of any background.
• SVG—A fancy new type of web graphics that can be re-sized without looking pixelated.

Color Palette

The first property we’ll dive into is an image’s color palette. Some image file types support a near-unlimited amount of colors, but not all are so versatile. How many colors does each file type support?

Unlimited

JPEG, PNG-24, and SVG images don’t have a practical limit to the number of colors they can have, making them ideal for complex images with lots of color variations.

Limited

PNG-8 and GIF images can both support up to 256 colors only. This keeps file size low, but can result in color data loss in complex images.

Transparency

Next, we’ll take a look at transparent pixels in images. Which file types support transparency, and which don’t?

Supported

Most common image file types support transparent pixels, except for JPEG. This allows them to be layered on top of other colors or backgrounds.

Unsupported

JPEG images notably do not support transparent pixels, meaning they must have a background and will cover up anything they’re layered on top of.

Alpha Channel

When working with images for the web, you’ll find that transparency isn’t always terribly useful without the help of an alpha channel. This simply means that an image’s pixels can be on a spectrum between completely opaque and completely transparent. Which file types support this feature?

Supported

PNG-24 and SVG images support alpha channels. This means they can blend smoothly between opaque and transparent pixels, making them extremely versatile for layering on any background you can imagine.

Unsupported

PNG-8 and GIF files may allow transparency, but without alpha support, they will have hard edges between opaque and transparent pixels (often referred to as a “matte”).

Image Compression

When it comes to digital files, compression can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it can reduce a file’s size very impressively, but the down side can be a noticeable loss of image clarity or quality. Next, we’ll see which image types can be compressed.

Compressed, or “Lossy”

JPEG images can be compressed to various degrees, often lowering their file size dramatically. The trade-off of high levels of compression is a loss of image data, resulting in lower quality images.

Uncompressed, or “Lossless”

Other image types do not support the sort of compression as JPEGs, meaning their file size cannot be reduced through compression. The up side to uncompressed file types is that they will never lose image quality, hence the adjective “lossless.”

Scalability

Which image types can be resized without losing quality?

Fixed Size (Raster)

Most images are raster files, meaning they have a fixed pixel width and height. Upscaling a raster image will result in larger pixels and an often blurry or “inflated” look.

Scalable (Vector)

SVG is an acronym for “scalable vector graphics.” This is the only file type that can be upscaled to any size without losing quality or clarity, making SVG the ideal choice for icons and graphics on the web.

Animation

Sometimes when you need a quick animation without sound, a full-blown video can be overkill. This is where image file types that support animation can shine. In our final topic, we’ll explore how animation works in images, and which file types support it.

Supported

GIF images can have multiple frames embedded into a single file, allowing them to cycle through frames to create animations that play automatically. SVGs can be animated on the web using CSS and Javascript, but some web development knowledge is needed.

Unsupported

JPEG and PNG files can store only a single frame of image information, meaning they don’t support animation of any sort.

In conclusion, each file type plays its specific role in image creation. Some are better for complex images, and others work better for simple ones. The key to choosing the right file type is to determine which features you need and how you can get those features with as small a file type as possible. We hope you found this infographic useful!

The internet is a beautiful thing. You can find just about anything you want and communicate with people all over the world. It has also made it possible for anyone to share information, no matter how sensitive or valuable, without the worry of being tracked down. But this newfound freedom comes at a cost: your privacy and security are in jeopardy if you don’t know what you’re doing. In this blog post, let’s talk about secure file sharing, why it’s important to keep your files private, and how to do so while still taking advantage of everything the internet offers.

Why it’s important to Secure Your File Sharing

You may not think it, but you’re essentially putting your entire digital life on display when you share files online. From your bank statements to your vacation photos, there’s no end to the sensitive information that can be gleaned from unprotected file sharing. And if that wasn’t bad enough, cybercriminals are always looking for new ways to exploit unsuspecting users. By encrypting your files before sharing them, you can rest assured that your privacy is protected and that your information is safe from prying eyes.

How to Secure Your File Sharing

Fortunately, securing your file sharing is a relatively easy task. All you need is a good VPN service and a few minutes of your time. Here are the steps you need to take:

Never use public WIFI

Don’t access any sensitive sites (e.g., online banking) through public WiFi networks if you’re out and about. These are easily compromised by hackers looking for passwords and other personal data they can use to gain access to your accounts.

Use strong passwords

It’s also important that you create unique usernames/passwords for every site that requires one. Not doing so makes it easy for cybercriminals to break into your accounts- even if you think they’re secure.

Use full disk encryption

When available, enable encryption on all of your storage devices (e.g., hard drive). This is especially relevant with laptops which contain loads of information about everything from your Amazon shopping habits to the embarrassing photos you’ve shared with friends.

Use a VPN

A VPN is your best bet for ensuring that your file sharing is secure. Not only does it encrypt your data, but it also protects your IP address from being tracked down by third-party snoopers.

Enable verification on your accounts

Many social networking and file-sharing sites will allow you to use verification tools that help protect your account from hackers. These include services like two-factor authentication and login approvals. They may be a pain to set up, but they’re well worth the trouble if it means keeping cybercriminals at bay.

Keep all of your software up to date

Cybercriminals always try to take advantage of security gaps in popular programs (e.g., Adobe Flash). So make sure that you keep everything as up-to-date as possible so that their attacks are less likely to succeed.

Key Takeaway

As you can see, there are a number of things you can do to keep your file-sharing private and secure. By following the tips we’ve outlined in this blog post, you’ll be well on your way to keeping your data safe from prying eyes.

Our San Marcos, Texas SEO company has written about this topic in the past, but today we’ll be looking towards the future of our industry. While no one can say definitively what will happen in 5 years, trends have been going on in the industry over the past few years. They will likely continue, so we can get a good idea for what’s coming in 2022.

Featured Snippet

Search engines will continue to extract and emphasize featured snippets from web pages. Featured snippets now appear on about 15% of all queries, making them much more common than Knowledge Graph cards. While it’s not yet clear if they’re increasing click-through rates significantly over regular results, featured snippets make it easier for searchers to get what they want without clicking through several results.

Image Optimization

People are more likely to click on images than simple text, so it makes sense that Google and other search engines are starting to factor image labeling and optimization into their algorithm. Getting your images properly labeled, optimized, and managed with SEO best practices will be an ongoing job for everyone who manages images on their sites or blogs. It doesn’t require work after launch but needs ongoing attention as you add new content.

Long-Form Content

Typically when people think of content marketing, they envision short pieces used for online advertising. However, long-form content is also an excellent strategy for search engine optimization in 2022. Take advantage of the trend by making your long articles around 1,500 words or more, and go into great detail about the topic. This is highly beneficial to readers who want in-depth information on a certain subject. Long-form content ultimately ranks higher on Google since these pages have higher quality scores.

The EAT Principle

EAT is an acronym that stands for Experienced-Authoritative-Trustworthy. This means that your site’s content should come from a source that is experienced or authoritative on that topic. These sources may have a slight edge over new ones. You can use other sites as sources, but make sure you attribute authorship appropriately and do not violate copyright laws.

When a business offers specialized services or products that relate directly to their industry or location, it’s probably safe for them to have EAT-compliant content on their site. A company selling products or services on a particular topic will have far more credibility than someone who is not selling. For example, would you trust content from a non-doctor about which medical treatments are effective? Most likely not.

Mobile Optimization

As today’s consumers and business owners use their smartphones and other mobile devices as their primary means of connecting to information and services, SEO professionals will need to take note of these changes and re-evaluate how they’re marketing themselves. For example, more than 1.5 billion smartphone users do a Google search or visit a site that includes a Google component every day. We predict that over 87% of all site traffic will be coming from mobile phones in 2022.

Conclusion

SEO is an ever-changing field. While 2021 was a bit of a slow year for updates, expect 2022 and beyond to bring more updates on algorithm changes and guidelines regarding content and website optimization. Our approach as marketers will be sure to change as well based on those new regulations. We’ll need to ensure that we’re providing high-quality and engaging information for users, and keeping up with these updates will make it easier for businesses online.

Digital Marketing and Search Engine Optimization in Austin

Is your business struggling to keep up with the latest digital marketing trends in the Austin area? Our San Marcos, Texas SEO company has a lot of experience in this competitive market, and we’re ready to lend our expertise. Contact us to learn how we can help you stay on top of the ever-changing SEO landscape to get your business more online leads!

In this current economy and age where online shopping is one of the most popular activities globally, getting it right when choosing the right host becomes as important as your business itself. It is estimated that e-commerce returns worldwide will be 4.24 trillion dollars of the United States in 2020 alone, and these numbers are expected to rise to 5.4 trillion dollars in the year 2022. Nonetheless, choosing a host that can guarantee you speed, attractive features tailored to your needs, good storage, and security should rank in your top list.

Whether you’re not sure where to begin with web hosting or your current host isn’t cutting it for your business’ needs, this article from our Austin hosting team is sure to help point you in the right direction.

What is Web Hosting?

Technology has brought us to an age where you do not have to hire a whole team of IT professionals to get the job done. Your work is to look for the company that bests serve your needs when it comes to hosting. Web hosting is one of the most fundamental parts of a website.

There are great companies out there that have put in the time to create technological solutions that cater for different needs, and not all hosts are equal. Therefore, careful consideration should be taken to ensure you choose the right host to suit your needs.

Instead of hiring a whole team to develop a website for you, with a small fee, you can get the same services from a web hosting company which is a great business decision you can make.

Types of Web Hosts

To better identify and choose the right host, you must first understand the types of web hosting companies that exist in the market. The web host is the infrastructure that allows an organization to publish a website. Some offer simple web hosting services, some are in highly lucrative markets, and others are in less crowded markets. The six most basic types include the following:

1. Shared Hosting

Good for those at the starting stage of website hosting, shared hosting is where a site is stored on the same servers just like other sites. Random Access Memory as well as the Central Processing unit are shared, and therefore the cost is cheaper. This makes shared hosting companies the most excellent choice for beginner website owners.

It can be used by an owner of an enterprise, a community group, or a blogger as it is simple to host. Facilities like website builders, WordPress hosting, and even email interface are available. The only downside to it is that sudden surges of users can affect your site’s speed and performance, as shared hosting isn’t built for a high capacity of website users.

2. VPS (Virtual private server) Hosting

This is most appropriate for site owners who require more control but don’t necessarily require a dedicated server. Each website is hosted in its own space even if it integrates with others as well. Even though VPS still cannot handle high traffic, it allows access to more customization and storage space.

3. Dedicated Server Hosting

This allows for more control as the server is absolutely for you, and only your site is stored in it. You have access as an admin, and you can regulate the whole thing, including security as well as the operating system. You should keep in mind, however, that this is an expensive web hosting option. It’s only practical for website owners who get high traffic and need control over their servers.

4. Cloud Hosting

Cloud hosting means many interconnected computers operating applications together with the help of shared computing resources. It is a technique used by companies that operate one network and offer computing resources as a utility.

Users can involve as many resources as they require without building and maintaining the infrastructure of their computers. They are widespread over several servers with little chance of malfunctioning. With cloud base hosting, your website can grow while your business only pays for the resources it needs.

5. Managed Hosting

Here, the provider takes care of the the day-to-day operation as well as management of the standardized applications. Several of the hosting packages available are actually managed, but it all comes down to what you need. Each plan caters for different groups and needs.

6. Colocation

This hosting service allows you to rent a physical space where you are provided with electricity, internet connection with a bandwidth of great strength, an IP address, and cooling systems. With these resources, you are left to manage your own devices. If you own your own computer server, you may choose to “co-locate” instead of keeping it in your home or office.

Which one do you want? What is good for you? This is a question only you can answer. Even though there are many to choose from, it boils down to what best suits you need.

Factors to Consider when Choosing a Web Host

1. The resources required
2. Expected traffic
3. The kind of website available
4. Your budget

Criteria to Choosing the Best Web Hosting Service for Your Website

Measure up each web host against these criteria to get the best choice.

1. Understand Your Website’s Needs

Make a list of what you need on a website. From there, compare them to what the potential host is offering. If you have a specific need, make sure you consider it. For photography, you might need and look up hosts that offer speed and storage and a content delivery network for content-heavy sites. For E-commerce sites, you might want to consider bandwidth and security.

2. Consider the Host’s Subscription Period Contract

Consider the contract lengths including monthly and yearly plans, and think how long you would want to commit upfront. It is advisable to pay for a few months first to experience it, and you can commit long term if you like it. This strategy can save you quite a lot of money.

3. Check for Server Reliability

Look for uptime guarantees and how reliable the service can be. You want to ensure that your website will be online and available when users need you without issues.

4. Ask About Host’s Refund Policy and Guarantees

This is for “what if” purposes. You want to know whether they are fluid and flexible to refund your money if you change your mind.

5. Know Your Upgrade Options

It is important to know if some charges or penalties will accrue to you later when you try to upgrade. Your business or blog might go viral, and there might be a need to upgrade quickly. You need to know if you can upgrade on short notice and how smooth the process will be.

In addition to that, verify your hosts’ features, determine whether hosts support e-commerce, find out what kind of control you will have access to, and understand your account’s limitations. Those are the most basic criteria you might need to find the right web host.

Find Web Hosting in Austin TX

If you’re in need of reliable, fast commercial hosting with excellent customer support, the web team at tekRESCUE is ready to help. Our Austin hosting Services can take your business’ site to the next level with managed updates and priority support. Contact us to learn how we can help!

Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) are an increasingly popular web design element, and with good reason. They’re extremely flexible, easy to update, and don’t lose quality when resized. On the other hand, many people don’t know what SVGs are or how to use them, making it difficult to work with designers in their projects. This article outlines the pros and cons of using SVG graphics on your website so you can decide whether they’re right for you.

What are SVG Files?

SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) files are vector images, meaning they can be infinitely scaled without losing quality. This makes them especially useful for web designers who need to resize without losing sharpness or clarity. While designers can always use raster graphics like JPEGs, these types of images lose quality if scaled up. SVG files aren’t limited to working online either; you can also import them into any program that works with vector graphics, including Photoshop.

Advantages of Using SVG Images

1. Scalability

A scalable vector graphics (SVG) image is a scalable image format. It maintains the same crisp quality no matter the size of the display. This makes images look sharp and clean on any screen, regardless of pixel density.

2. Speed

The implementation of Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) in web design is fast. Raster images like JPEGs and PNGs typically have very large file sizes, slowing down websites as a visitor’s browser tries to download all that information. SVGs, on the other hand, have much smaller file sizes and load much quicker.

3. Versatility

The browser compatibility of Scalable Vector Graphics is extremely good. With support for all modern browsers, it means your website can display clean scalable graphics to the vast majority of your potential audience, regardless of the device they’re using. SVGs also make it easy to add animation effects to websites without needing to use third-party plugins, as they’re able to be selected and manipulated using simple CSS.

4. Resolution Independence

Resolution independence is the quality of an image that can be scaled and zoomed to any size without losing sharpness or clarity. With their vector-based content, SVG images provide this advantage to businesses, allowing them to scale logos and original graphics to any size without loss of quality. Present your business’ assets as they were meant to be!

5. W3C Standards Support

When you use SVG images, you can ensure that your website complies with the standards set by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). These standards ensure that a site is compatible across multiple browsers and devices and is accessible to the widest audience possible.

6. DPI Independence

SVG images offer DPI independence. This makes it easy to create crisp graphics that can not only be displayed at any size on a screen, but also printed at any size. From business cards to highway billboards, a single graphic in SVG format can be used for any print implementation.

7. Interactivity

Interactivity is one of the advantages that makes web design unique compared to print design. Adding animation and interactivity to your website will help keep visitors engaged with your site and encourage them to stay longer on-site, and SVGs add to this potential significantly. Web designers can use CSS and JavaScript to animate SVGs with near limitless potential, allowing your website to deliver a one-of-a-kind user experience that visitors won’t easily forget.

Disadvantages of Using SVG Images

Because SVG is vector-based, it does not work well for images with lots of fine details and textures like photographs. SVG is best suited for logos, icons, and other “flat” graphics that use simpler colors and shapes. Also, while most modern browsers support SVG, older browsers may not work with them properly. This can cause a website to look broken or unexpected to people who are still using them.

Key Takeaways

Although SVGs are easier to create than ever before, they can lead to visual complications if you’re not careful. Therefore, when deciding whether or not SVGs are appropriate for your project, it is helpful to compare them with other types of graphics—namely PNGs and JPGs. You can refer to our infographic “Image File Types Decoded” to see how SVGs stack up against other file types and how to decide which one to use for your project.

As the movement towards a remote or mobile workforce continues, managers and employees alike use mobile devices to store more company data than ever before. To secure the valuable information in these out-of-office devices, it is important for any business with a remote workforce to have a device policy in place. A clear device policy will prevent the theft of information by hackers, and it will also help employers to remove data from a stolen device. There are three types of commonly-used mobile device policies: BYOD, COPE and, CYOD. All three types have their advantages and disadvantages. Companies should choose the device policy that suits their unique requirements.

BYOD

BYOD (Bring-your-own-device) allows employees to choose and bring their own device. This policy is useful for small companies and startups.

A BYOD device policy is beneficial because the company can save money on purchasing and giving employees devices. This eliminates the need for employees to learn how to use new devices, as they’ll be comfortable using devices they’re already familiar with. Employees will upgrade their devices and improve company communication.

BYOD polices are not without their disadvantages, however:

• Employee and company privacy is jeopardized
• All employees may not have their own device
• The risks of security breaches are higher
• Employers may need to provide IT support for some devices

COPE

COPE (Corporate Owned Personally Enabled) is a device security policy where the employer provides devices to employees for their personal use and for work. This device policy is used by larger companies, healthcare organizations, and financial institutions which require greater information security than startups and small companies.

The benefits of COPE include:

• Device management is more efficient
• The company or organization can run more smoothly
• The IT support required is minimal
• IT will constantly upgrade the security of the devices
• If one device fails, the company can quickly start using alternative devices

The disadvantages are:

• COPE is expensive, as companies need to buy devices
• There are more compliance requirements
• It may not serve all the purposes of the company
• Devices belonging to companies need to be insured

CYOD

CYOD (Choose Your Own Device) is a device security policy where the company approves and lists corporate-liable devices, and employees are asked to choose devices from the list. Employees need to purchase the device, but the company owns the sim and the data in the device.

The benefits of CYOD are:

• Easy device management by IT
• The company can manage data across devices easily
• The costs are much lower than a COPE device policy
• Companies can keep an effective remote wipe policy in the event the device is stolen or lost or if the employee leaves the company
• IT can upgrade and provide security patches for the devices quickly
• The risk of security breaches is much lower

The disadvantage of CYOD is that the usage policies need to be very detailed. The company needs to constantly monitor and maintain devices.

Key Takeaway

In addition to more traditional forms of security, cybersecurity has become a necessity to protect valuable company data. The increased use of mobile devices in recent years has only strengthened the need to secure data stored in these devices. Mobile device data security is constantly under threat, but companies with clear device policies can secure their data much more effectively. The type of device policy used by a company will depend on its unique needs and budget.

Every business owner wants to do whatever they can to ensure their business grows and continues to keep in contact with their clients. One great way to do this is by having customers on an email list. When customers are on a marketing list, the business can send out periodic emails to the customers to inform them about promotions, new items or simply to connect. Unfortunately, some business owners learn their emails are not going to the top of their customer’s emails but are instead going into the spam folder. There are some things that can be done to help the emails land in the right spot.

Instruct Subscribers to Whitelist Email Address

Many of the top email providers have a spam filter. This means they look for certain things within an email that are usually congruent to spam emails. When a subscriber whitelists an email address, this ensures emails from a particular source will never go into the spam folder. The only way for an email to be added to someone’s whitelist is for the customer to do it or for someone on their team to do it. It is important to understand that not all subscribers might know how to whitelist an email. For this reason, it is imperative for the person sending emails to include instructions and even pictures on how to do it. The instructions can be included in the first welcome email the subscriber will receive.

Receive Permission Before Sending Emails

Some people may be under the impression they can send emails to anyone; however this is not the case. Business owners should always get permission to send marketing emails. If someone did not sign up for emails, there is a chance they will report it as spam. If a sender’s emails get reported as spam repeatedly, there is a chance their emails will automatically start going into the spam folder. Before sending emails, business owners must have a way of gauging a person’s interest.

Choose the Right Email Marketing Program

Sometimes business owners may overlook details about the email marketing program they choose for their campaigns; however the wrong email marketing program can cause a person’s emails to mistakenly go to the spam folder. One way that email providers choose what emails to send to spam can be based on the program that is used. If an email marketing program gets numerous complaints for sending spam emails, there is a chance they will send other emails from the same program to spam as well. It is important to always use a program that has a good reputation and is legitimate. Sometimes the legitimate program may be a bit more expensive; however, it is worth the extra cost associated with it. A legitimate email marketing program will also have filters in place to help the emails to not get tossed into spam folders.

Take Adequate Time to Proofread Emails

Many times business owners are extremely busy and would like to get information out to their clients as quickly as possible; however it is quite important to take the necessary time to proofread all emails that are sent out. If there are numerous grammatical issues with an email, typos, and sentences that do no make sense, there is a chance the email could be placed with spam emails. It is even a good idea to run emails through some form of grammatical correction software before sending the email to customers. By doing this, there is less chance the email will be sent to spam because all issues or most issues will be corrected. One program that many people use is Grammarly, and there are many similar tools to choose from.

Beware of Subject Lines

When creating emails it is important to share great information, and that starts with the subject line. If the subject sounds like spam, then some email spam filters will label it as such. Sometimes emails that talk about discounts, deals or have exclamation points in the subject line can end up in the spam folder. Even if the emails come from reputable companies, there is still a chance they will be regarded as spam. So, it is best to pay close attention to the subject line that is used.

Remove the Email Address of Certain People

Another way email providers determine if someone is sending spam is by seeing how many of the emails that a person sends information to are actually active. If the percentage is relatively low, the email provider could relate this to spam. So, to deter this from happening, it is recommended to remove inactive email addresses from the marketing campaign. If someone has not opened the emails in a very long time, then those addresses should be removed. If there is a small number of people on the email list that is not opening emails, then that is to be expected. If a large number of people are not opening emails, then the marketing strategies should be revisited. This shows that something is not working properly.

Utilize a Spam Checker

Many people who create emails on a regular basis purchase a spam checker tool to do everything possible to keep their emails from going to spam. The spam checker tool will be able to show how possible it is that a certain email will go to spam, and it will suggest strategies to reduce that likelihood.

Be Clear About Who the Sender is

It is best to be as clear as possible on who is actually sending the email. The sender is what recipients will see in the “from” field of the email. There should never be any special characters or anything like this in that particular field. If there are special characters, the likelihood the email will be filtered into spam rises significantly. In the “from” field, there should be a person’s name or the company’s name.

Conclusion

All of these are great tips to deter marketing emails from ending up in the spam folder. If these tips are followed, there is a better chance that an email campaign will see positive results because the recipient will actually receive the email.

While browsing the web, you may have noticed similar sets of icons used on all kinds of different sites—think of all those phone, envelope, and map marker icons that seem to be everywhere. If you’ve ever used a website building tool or content management system, you may already be familiar with using these icon sets like Font Awesome or Material Icons. These are examples of icon fonts, and they offer a way for web designers to leverage a browser’s text rendering capabilities to deliver any shape imaginable. With page load speed and cross-device compatibility being more important than ever before in today’s web landscape, icon fonts can be a valuable way to improve a website’s performance and user experience quickly and dramatically.

How does this technology work, and how can you use it to its maximum effect? We’ve put together an overview of how exactly icon fonts work, how to use them on a website and how to create your own with any shapes you can dream of. Exciting stuff!

What Are Icon Fonts?

Let’s start with the basics. All digital fonts work by assigning a letter, number or special character to a string of numbers called a Unicode. For example, in a typical font the letter “A” will be assigned to the Unicode “U+0041.” Every time you type or typeset the letter “A,” that code is used to identify which typographic character should be rendered.

Icon fonts work in the exact same way. Instead of assigning a typical text character to a given Unicode, a font designer can assign any shape they choose. This concept isn’t new, as dingbat or ornament fonts have been around since the beginning digital typography to allow typesetters to easily add glyphs and other symbols to page designs. They’ve gained an increased relevance in recent years, however, due to their versatility and performance in the world of modern web design.

What Advantages Do Icon Fonts Bring to Web Design?

Being fonts instead of raster images, icon fonts offer several advantages over <img /> elements when designing a website. For one, digital font files like .TTF or .OTF have a much smaller file size than the typical .JPG or .PNG image file, and this is especially true for web-optimized font files like .WOFF. This alone can go a long way towards increasing a page’s load speed, which plays a huge role in the user experience in today’s age of mobile device browsing.

On top of this smaller size, having every icon you need in a single font file can lower the number of HTTP requests the browser needs to make to the server when loading a web page. If you have a page with several icons in the form of image files, the browser will need to send separate requests to fetch each image individually, one at a time. Having all those images load in a single request will allow the page to load much faster and with much less demand on the server.

In addition to these speed improvements, icon fonts allow web designers to take advantage of all the CSS properties that can be used to style text. From color changes to text shadows, scaling, transitions and animations, icon fonts a are just as versatile as any other piece of text on a website. Last but not least, they can be rendered at any size without losing quality just like typography.

Can an Icon Font Replace Every Image on Your website?

Despite their exciting potential for CSS styling, fonts can only render flat shapes with a single color. They can’t take the place of photos and other complex images, and even icons with multiple flat colors are better served as PNG files. They also can’t be set as background images through CSS, and workarounds to achieve this effect may be more trouble than they’re worth.

If your site uses a large number of simple, flat shapes, however, then it’s the perfect candidate to take advantage of an icon font’s benefits.

How Are Icon Fonts Used in Web Design?

As mentioned before, many website builder apps and content management systems like WordPress make it easy to add icon fonts to a web project. Many WordPress themes come pre-loaded with icon sets and easy ways to implement them right out of the box, no HTML or CSS needed. Even without these tools, using an icon font is just like using any uploaded font on a web project. There’s a broad range of free icon fonts available for designers to download, and these fonts can be uploaded to a hosting server and implemented with the “@font-face” CSS rule like any other font. From there, the “font-family” property can be used to set any text content in the icon font.

CSS

@font-face {
  font-family: myIconFont;
  src: url(https://example.com/fonts/myiconfont.woff);
}

.my-icon-font {
  font-family: myIconFont;
}

In the above example CSS, the @font-face rule is used to load the icon font by specifying its url in the “src” property. The “font-family” property is used to assign a name to the icon font, and any element with the “my-icon-font” class will be set in the specified font.

The most common way icon fonts are used in web design, however, is through ::before or ::after CSS pseudo-elements. A typical approach is to create an empty <i> tag and use CSS to select that tag’s ::before or ::after pseudo-element, inserting the Unicode for the desired icon using the “content” attribute. Once the content is generated, additional properties are used to specify the icon font as the font-family as shown below.

HTML

<p><i class="font-icon dog"></i> Dog</p>

CSS

.font-icon::before {
  font-family: myIconFont:
  color: blue;
}

.font-icon.dog::before {
  content: "041"
} 

In the above example, the “font-icon” class is used to specify the correct icon set and styling to be used for all icons in the set, while the “dog” class inserts the Unicode for the dog character within the set. Since no actual content exists in the HTML, icons can easily be swapped out and changed using nothing but CSS.

How Can You Create a Custom Icon Font?

While there’s an ever-expanding selection of free icon fonts with even more options available if you’re willing to pay a premium, nothing compares to a set of original icons to make a website stand out and deliver value for a client. If you’re familiar with using software for creating and editing fonts, you probably already guessed that making a font out of icons is exactly the same as making one out of letters and numbers. Just be sure to export your font as a .WOFF or .WOFF2 if possible, since those file types are optimized for serving as web content.

For those of us without font editing tools, there are several web apps available that allow you to upload a set of .SVG files and export them as a font. One such app is IcoMoon, which is free to use as long as you don’t need to save your projects on their servers.

To use IcoMoon and similar apps, create a set of icons in a vector editing tool like Adobe Illustrator or the free Inkscape, and export each icon as an .SVG individually. These can be uploaded to a new icon set in IcoMoon, where they can then be mapped to whatever Unicode you choose and downloaded as a font file. IcoMoon even includes sample HTML and CSS to make implementation into a web project a bit easier.

Conclusion

Whether you plan to create your own icons or to use one of the exciting variety of existing icon sets out there, we hope this overview has inspired you to try this new approach to adding graphics to your next web project. In addition to their versatility and scalability, icon fonts can improve your website’s performance, making them a valuable asset for both usability and search engine optimization. And on top of it all, they’re just a lot of fun to work with!

In our previous article on creating a strong email campaign, we went over some strategies to craft enticing subject lines and engaging email content. While these pieces of content are the core elements of an email campaign, they can go much further if you supplement them with a few additional techniques. From email tracking to calls to action and brand consistency, below we’ll discuss how you can fine-tune your email campaign to maximize its engagement and conversion.

Email Tracking

You should be tracking as much information about your campaign as you can, and a great place to start is pixel tracking. Pixel tracking allows you to see if someone has opened an email or not, and if they have, it lets you know how long they were on the page. This is done by using a small pixel hidden in the email that tracks if it is viewed. You can use this tool to track how many people are using a discount code or to determine which of your email headers and content has the best results when it comes to opening and read through.

Calls to Action

Crafting the Call

One important part of great email marketing campaigns is having a call to action—a place where you ask your customers to take a specific step as the result of your email campaign. This might be as simple as having them visit your online store, buy a ticket for an event, take a survey, or anything that you hold as a goal. Ask yourself, “What do I want the readers to do?” and use this to craft a response. Keep it simple and brief with actions like “Shop Now”, “Purchase Here”, “Donate Here”, or “Please Take Our Survey”.

Building a Landing Page

If you are looking to do something unique, consider crafting a landing page that takes your customers directly to a unique page on a website. There, you can have unique content crafted specifically for the purpose of your email campaign. For example, you can create a survey landing page that directs anyone with positive results to a link where they can leave a review. On the other hand, if you do not want to use a landing page, you can use something like a specific discount code that can be tracked. The more the sense of urgency you create, the more effective your campaign can be.

Brand Consistency

Keeping it Simple

Your emails should also have brand consistency, which is where graphic design can play a huge role. Make sure that your email templates make use of your brand’s colors, fonts, and overall visual style. If you want to include infographics, make sure they adhere to your brand’s design aesthetic as well. You want to make sure that you do not have differing colors or bizarre logos that do not fit the spirit of your company.

Using the Fundamentals

Don’t forget to consider fundamental design principles as well. You want to make sure that your emails present information efficiently and in a pleasing manner, visually guiding your customers from the header to the content and finally to the call to action. You can also use stock images in the email as long as you make sure they also fit your brand guidelines for maximum effectiveness.

There is a long list of things to consider when it comes to effectively creating an email campaign that elicits the response you want. An effective email campaign should grab the attention of customers right away, inspire them to take action, and retain their interest throughout the duration of the campaign.

In this two-part series of articles, we will go over a few key strategies that will help ensure you have the most effective campaign and the highest conversion rate possible. Below, we’ll begin with the email content and subject line.

The Subject Line & Pre-Header

Crafting the Subject

One very important thing you will want to focus on is the subject line and the pre-header. The subject line is used by every email provider, so you will want to make sure that you find an effective way to condense the essence of your email into just a few words. Generally, people will decide if they want to open the email or not based on the subject line. So the goal is to catch their attention and keep it without seeming spammy or unprofessional (i.e., avoid using all caps, punctuation, and other over-the-top tactics).

Tracking the Subject

You should also be keeping a list of all your email subject lines used so you can track which ones have the largest impact and what times are most effective to send them out. Many experts find the early morning to be the most effective, because that will allow your message to be the first thing your customers read in the morning when they get to work and check their email.

Considering the Pre-Header

Another item related to the subject line is the pre-header. Many email providers such as Gmail place this element next to the subject line to provide customers with more information (this is the little grey text next to the subject). The pre-header can be especially effective on mobile devices, where notification bars can also provide a little more information on the content through the pre-header. It should let readers know exactly what to expect.

The Content

Creating Customer Engagement

The content of the email itself should also be tracked, as it is one of the most important components for anyone that has clicked into the email and is deciding what their next step will be. Create content that you would want to read yourself, and consider the specific interests and sensibilities of your customer base. You will want to make sure that you decide exactly what your content will be ahead of time, whether it’s a deal of some sort, a special availability, an event that is ongoing, or a new product or service.

Retaining Customer Engagement

If you can regularly create quality content, email services like Gmail will push your emails to the top of your customers’ inboxes. Your customers will make it a habit to click the email blasts you send if they know that they can always expect something unique. If you can provide a way to track the effectiveness of this content, even better.

The Template

You will also want to use a consistent template for your email campaigns that includes links to your social media accounts. This will provide further connectivity and increase the overall effectiveness of your email campaigns. This template should provide contact info as well as a call to action for your customers to take advantage of whatever you are using your email campaign to promote. This will ensure that you don’t waste any conversion opportunities.

Templates are also an excellent way to create consistent branding in your email campaigns. We will be taking a closer look into this in our next article, which will cover brand consistency, email tracking and calls to action.

Looking for a better way to promote your business? Consider contacting tekRESCUE today to see how we can help!

As virtual schooling becomes more common, Chromebooks have become the device of choice for schoolwork at home. While many schools offer devices for students to use at no extra charge, these are often times very low budget machines that aren’t always the best tools for the job. If you or your child could use a device upgrade for virtual schooling this year, check out the infographic below to find tekRESCUE’s recommended Chromebooks for children of all grade levels and college students alike.

If you’re using a screen reader or would prefer to read our recommendations in text form rather than an image, scroll below the infographic for a transcription of its content. Note that tekRESCUE is not affiliated with or sponsored by any of the brands or products featured here.

What is a Chromebook?

A Chromebook is a simple-to-use laptop that runs on Google’s Chrome operating system. They’re streamlined for online work and recreation, but offer less versatility and power than Windows laptops and MacBooks.

Chromebook Pros (Compared to Windows & Mac Devices)

• Lower Prices
• Faster Startup Times
• Easier to Learn and Use the Operating System
• Fewer Distractions from Schoolwork

Chromebook Cons (Compared to Windows & Mac Devices)

• Limited App Support (limited to Google Play Store and web apps)
• Less Computing Power (CPU / GPU / RAM memory)
• Limited Support for Hardware Accessories

Features to Consider

When considering a Chromebook for yourself or your child, it’s a good idea to consider the following features / specs and ask yourself these questions:

Practicality

• How portable is it?
• Can the keyboard detach to create a tablet?
• How durable is it?

Screen

• How large is the screen?
• How good is the display quality and resolution?
• Is it a touch screen with stylus compatibility?

Style

• Is the casing metal or plastic?
• What colors are available?
• Would a teen use it, or would they be embarrassed to be seen holding it?

Power

• What processor is inside?
• Can the device multitask?
• Can it play games after homework is finished?

Storage

• How much internal storage space does it have?
• Is the drive a solid state drive (SSD)?
• Can its storage be upgraded, or are more expensive variations with more storage available?

Extras

• Does it come with or support any notable accessories?
• Does it have any special features to its design, such as a swiveling screen?
• Does it have extra USB drives for connecting accessories?

For Elementary School Students: Lenovo Chromebook Duet

Small and lightweight, this 2-in-1 tablet is perfect for small hands to carry. It includes plenty of storage space and features like front and rear facing cameras to support the latest kids’ education apps.

• Great Practicality—Being a small and lightweight tablet, this device maximizes portability. It includes a keyboard attachment for track pad and keyboard navigation.
• Modest Screen—While a resolution of 1920 x 1200 is impressive for a 10.1-inch touch screen, this LCD display doesn’t offer the best picture quality on the market.
• Modest Style—While there are no colorful variations available, kids can express their personality through the variety of case / stand accessories this tablet works with.
• Modest Power—While an off-brand MediaTek Helio P60T processor won’t provide the same kind of multitasking as an Intel chip might, 4GB of system memory is good enough to run most Chromebook apps with no trouble at all.
• Great Storage—If the already impressive 128GB of internal flash storage isn’t enough, this device comes with a free 100GB Google One trial for backing up files in Google’s cloud servers.
• Great Extras—A combination of front and rear-facing cameras allow for all kinds of possibilities from video calls with family members to augmented reality education apps. A lack of an audio jack is made up for with an included adapter if headphones are needed.

Find this device on BestBuy.com.

For Middle School Students: Acer Chromebook Spin 11

A lack of power and storage is made up for with lots of unique features and accessories all rolled into a portable package that’ll make classmates jealous.

• Great Practicality—This laptop’s compact, portable size is supplemented by a hinge design that allows for 360° rotation, allowing it to be used as a versatile tablet or laptop.
• Modest Screen—With an unimpressive 1366 x 768 resolution, its 11.6-inch LED backlit screen won’t provide the greatest display quality. On the other hand, touch functionality and stylus compatibility make this a substance-over-style screen.
• Great Style—A sleek, attractive design and the above-mentioned 360° screen rotation give this device a real “wow” factor—an asset that might come in handy when trying to impress a middle schooler.
• Modest Power—With Intel’s budget Celeron N3350 processor and the standard Chromebook 4GB of system memory, this laptop can run most supported apps flawlessly, although it isn’t the best when it comes to multitasking.
• Modest Storage—A lackluster 32GB of internal flash memory is offset by a 128GB SD card that comes packaged with the device. Plenty of storage as long as your child doesn’t lose the card.
• Great Extras—This Chromebook comes packaged with all kinds of accessories, from a protective case to extra USB ports and even a supported Wacom stylus.

For High School Students: HP Chromebook 15

With a beautiful display, backlit keyboard and lots of power, this option doesn’t sacrifice on style or versatility—great for school work and after-school recreation alike.

• Modest Practicality—While this laptop offers lots of power for the price, its relatively large and heavy build make it much less portable than the other devices featured here.
• Great Screen—With a full 1920 x 1080 HD resolution, its 15.6” WLED-backlit touch screen offers excellent display quality and touch input versatility all in one package.
• Great Style—A sleek and colorful design set this machine apart from the solid grays of most Chromebooks, and an LED-backlit keyboard offers a stylish coat of icing on the already attractive cake.
• Great Power—While 4GB of system memory may not be impressive, an honest-to-goodness Intel Core i3-8130U processor really shows what it’s capable of in a device that runs the lightweight Chrome OS.
• Great Storage—If the onboard 128GB of internal flash memory isn’t enough, a 100GB Google One trial allows for a versatile, cloud-based option for extending your storage capacity.
• Modest Extras—While this laptop doesn’t come with any unique or flashy accessories, it does boast a full keyboard with a numeric key pad as well as an audio jack adapter—two things that most Chromebooks forego in favor of portability.

Find this device on Amazon.com.

For College Students: Samsung Chromebook 4

This no-frills, no-nonsense option offers a large full HD (FHD) screen at a low price. It’s great for note-taking as well as using all of the web apps you need to stay organized throughout the semester.

• Great Practicality—While this laptop may have a large screen, it still manages to be thin and lightweight. The fact that it has no extra frills or features means you’ll get an excellent device at a very low price.
• Great Screen—This huge 15.6-inch screen boasts full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 and a minimal bezel, allowing for a beautiful, distraction-free display.
• Modest Style—With a standard gray body and a no-nonsense, basic design, this laptop isn’t going to turn any heads. Its thin, sleek build, on the other hand, ensures that you’ll have an attractive design, even if it is basic.
• Modest Power—With a standard 4GB system memory and Intel’s budget Celeron N4000 processor, this Chromebook won’t be up to too much multitasking—which may end up being a good thing if you’re trying to focus on class work without any distractions.
• Modest Storage—A humble 32GB of internal flash memory should be enough for storing class notes and project files, but more expensive device models with more built-in storage are available if you need more room.
• Modest Extras—This laptop keeps its price low by minimizing its extra features, but it still offers 2USB-C ports for hardware accessories as well as Gigabit Wi-Fi compatibility—useful for virtual meetings with classmates during group projects.

Find this device on Samsung.com.

We hope you found these recommendations helpful in your search for the right virtual schooling device. If you know anyone who could benefit from this sort of information, feel free to share this article or repost the infographic on whatever channel or platform you prefer. And if you need more technology advice or recommendations like these, don’t hesitate to contact a technician at tekRESCUE.

If you’re a business owner who has already invested in a professionally-built responsive website, you may be wondering if it’s necessary to put down more money into a mobile app. About half of the traffic on search engines comes from mobile devices, but a well-designed responsive website can already serve mobile as well as desktop traffic. So what’s the point of adding a mobile app to the mix? Being optimized for mobile devices and more quickly accessible in just a single tap, mobile apps can make many interactions easier, quicker, and more convenient for customers as opposed to a website. Here are a few compelling reasons you might want to invest in a mobile app even if your business already has a well-designed responsive website.

Building Brand Awareness

An app will play a significant role in building brand awareness. With icons occupying prime real estate on people’s phone screens, an app acts as a billboard. This makes it easy for people to know what your app is all about before even opening it, unlike a website that must be accessed through a browser. You will improve your brand recognition if you can proceed and get an app. And as all marketers know, when people get to know you quickly, they will tend to do business with you more easily.

Improving Customer Engagement

Once a potential customer installs an app, you will be free to send notifications and even get personal data from the customer. It is unlike running a website where it can be hard to get into details with the customer. Imagine you’re a restaurant owner. Instead of requiring customers to visit your website then call to book a table, you can easily make the booking process available online with a few taps. While web apps can also accomplish this, a mobile app will be more easily accessible and better optimized for mobile devices. Your customers will prefer the quicker and easier option!

Beating the competition

Your competitors may still be relying on their websites to handle all of their online interactions with customers. With a mobile app, you can potentially introduce something different and make your business stand out. When your services are available on an app, you will take advantage of potential customers who are ready to get your services online quickly without having to open their browsers and navigate to your domain. Because of this, many business owners who opt for apps on top of their existing websites find it easy to realize the best return on investment.

Cultivating Customer Loyalty

Most business owners are running all sorts of advertisements out there. You need to look for a way to keep the customers you get and turn them into repeat customers so those competitor ads don’t lure them away. An app allows the creation of special offers that you can then send to potential customers as exclusive deals. It is easy for the customers to get coupons and apply them to the app, making them develop some form of brand loyalty. Making customers prefer your brand over others can make your business grow quickly.

Improving visibility

An app can hold a very prominent place on a smartphone’s user interface. People spend a lot of time on their phones, and an app icon will be immediately visible to them anytime they open their phone screens. This makes it easy to improve your visibility if you can get as many interested buyers to install your app as possible, and those interested buyers will readily do business with you if they can easily access your services.

Creating a More Direct Marketing Channel

Like a website, an app can provide general information about your brand. Customers can use it to find prices, search for other services you offer, and access other features. If you want to introduce new features, you can release app updates that will be available instantly to potential customers. Unlike a website, however, an app makes it easy to market services directly to your customers. Whereas websites tend to be impersonal and informational, apps can more easily facilitate personalized interactions between customers and brands.

We hope this article has made you re-think the relationship between mobile apps and responsive websites. It’s not always a one-or-the-other situation; they can both be valuable parts of a robust digital marketing strategy.