Top 8 Ecommerce Plugins for WooCommerce Stores

posted on March 4, 2022

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Wondering about the 8 best WooCommerce plugins for your online store?

Read on!

Building an online store with WooCommerce has many benefits, so it’s hard to pick one. But if you twist my arm, I would say that the collection of WordPress plugins for WooCommerce stores is definitely my top reason to use WooCommerce. After all, WordPress has numerous plugins that cover almost every bit and byte of additional functionalities or features you might ever need for your WooCommerce store.

Ok, so WooCommerce plugins are a major attraction. Since you probably don’t want to spend hours going over hundreds of plugins, we have created a hand-picked list of useful and handy WooCommerce plugins to help you get more out of your e-commerce store. You may know some of them, you may know most of them, but hopefully, we’ll get to introduce you to some new ones that will help you increase sales and grow your online business.

Let’s dive into the list of the 8 best WooCommerce plugins that we love the most.

1. Mighty Review for Discount

The ‘Mighty Review for Discount’ plugin is the perfect way to encourage your customers to leave their honest reviews in exchange for rewards. In turn, this will build trust around your product and encourage customers to make more purchases.

Key Features:

  • Enables the offering of great discounts for reviewing your products and increasing engagement.
  • Allows the offering of conditional discount coupons by setting a minimum or maximum amount to spend.
  • Customized review reminder emails can be sent to customers.
  • Select products or product categories to which coupons can be applied.
  • Apply trigger event; single/multiple review(s) to send coupons.

Developer: MightyThemes

Price:

2. Mighty Frequently Bought Together for WooCommerce

If you want to recommend relevant products to your customers to encourage bundle purchases, the ‘Mighty Frequently Bought Together’ plugin will be of interest to you. This plugin helps you display related products, upsell, cross-sell or customize products to improve the buyer’s shopping experience, increase the number of add-on products, and boost your sales by up to 30%.

Key Features:

  • No limit on the number of product suggestions for a single product page.
  • Choose the number of product recommendations and positioning of the FBT products box.
  • Apply discount conditions and highlight the products that are currently on discount.
  • Customize the labeling of total price and buttons for single product or multiple products.
  • Completely customize the look and feel of the recommended products according to your needs.

Developer: MightyThemes

Price:

3. Booster for WooCommerce

‘Booster for WooCommerce’ is a preferred plugin as it offers several useful features to help you do everything from cross-selling to adjusting currencies. This plugin acts as a plugin suite to help you customize the functionality of your WooCommerce store and run it more efficiently.

Key Features:

  • Create PDF invoices and packing slips for simplifying your orders and paperwork.
  • Localize your store by displaying language, price, and currency according to your user’s country.
  • Enable setting custom WooCommerce payment gateways.
  • Create buttons and price labels for your products.
  • Set up a shopping cart and checkout experience for your customers.

Developer: Pluggabl LLC

Price:

4. YITH WooCommerce Wishlist

The ‘YITH WooCommerce Wishlist’ plugin is a popular one that places the wish list button on your shop’s page. It enables your buyers to quickly save any of their favorite products so they can easily find them again any time or share them with friends and family. Also, your customers can buy products directly from their wish list by simply adding them to cart.

Key Features:

  • Enables you to add the ‘Add to Wishlist’ short code and lets your users add, rename or remove a wish list.
  • Choose a page on which you want to display a wish list to your customer.
  • Allows your users to create unlimited product wish lists.
  • You can choose to enable/disable the wish list features of users which have not logged in.
  • Allows you to choose the layout for your wish list page and tables.

Developer: YITH

Price:

5. Order Delivery Date for WooCommerce

This ‘Order Delivery Date for WooCommerce’ plugin allows your customers to choose a delivery date and time on your website’s checkout page. Also, this plugin allows you to set the minimum required time for order delivery in hours and show holidays on the calendar on days when product delivery is not available.

Key Features:

  • Allows you to set a limit on the number of orders that can be placed in a day.
  • Provides an option for your customers to choose “As Soon As Possible” deliveries.
  • Enables you to set time slots for specific delivery dates.
  • Lets your customers view the estimated delivery or pickup date of their order.
  • Allows you to set up same day and next day delivery with cut-off time.

Developer: Tyche Softwares

Price:

6. Product Slider for WooCommerce

The ‘Product slider for WooCommerce’ plugin enables you to easily create an impressive carousel to showcase your WooCommerce products in a nice sliding manner. As a result, the look and feel of your site will improve and highlighting specific products will lead to an increase in your conversions and sales.

Key Features:

  • Allows you to create unlimited product carousels/sliders in any part of your pages, posts, custom template, or widget.
  • Equipped with a dedicated short code generator to easily build an attractive product slider carousel.
  • Lets you set your slider on autoplay and control its speed.
  • Allows you to enable touch swipe support.
  • Select a maximum number of products to show on the slider and choose if you want to display the product name, price, rating, and add to cart button.

Developer: ShadedPlugin

Price:

7. OptinMonster

Though not exactly a WooCommerce plugin, ‘OptinMonster’ is a powerful plugin which can help you with lead generation and conversion optimization of your WooCommerce store. With this plugin, you can create campaigns like pop-ups to grow your email list, floating bars to display on-going sales, countdown timers to create a FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) effect, and more.

Key Features:

  • Allows you to easily create stunning popups like full screen welcome mats and gamified spin-a-wheel pop-up.
  • Featured with signature exit-intent technology which shows your visitors a pop-up just before they are about to leave your site.
  • Enables geolocation targeting to personalize campaigns based on the current location of your visitors.
  • Completely customize your campaigns using a user-friendly drag and drop editor.

Developer: OptinMonster Team

Price:

8. WooCommerce PDF Invoices & Packing Slips

The ‘WooCommerce PDF Invoices & Packing Slips’ plugin allows you to automatically send PDF invoices or packing slips to your customers. It is a very useful plugin that attaches an invoice to the order confirmation emails and streamlines your entire invoicing process.

Key Features:

  • Enables automatic addition of PDF invoice to emails of your choice.
  • Allows generation of PDF invoices or packing slips in bulk.
  • Lets you customize your invoice templates.
  • Multilingual support for several languages such as English, French, German, Russian and more.
  • Creates invoices by using a sequential invoice numbering approach.

Developer: Ewout Fernhout

Price:

Conclusion

The good thing about these plugins is that they can help you in running your WooCommerce store in an even better way. If you are a beginner, we suggest that you first go for the free versions and try those for some time before investing money in premium versions. Hopefully, our list of must-have WooCommerce plugins is useful to you and helps you in either building a successful online store or further improve an already existing one.

The post Top 8 Ecommerce Plugins for WooCommerce Stores appeared first on SiteProNews.

Python and Its Libraries – A Snapshot

posted on February 18, 2022

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Python has undoubtedly become the most preferred language in the data science space. Today, statisticians are recruited based on their expertise in python. It is pervasively being recognized as the language top-ranked in global data science surveys.

But What Makes Python So Special for Data Scientists?

Python is an integrated language that smoothly embraces comprehensive features like coding, object-oriented, and high-level language. Python encompasses various libraries that take care of various job functions like Math complex calculations, data mining, exploration of data sets, comparison, and visualization.

Various libraries constitute the strong foundation of the Python tool that further has strong roots for problem-solving. Here is a small list of python libraries that you should know about:

NumPy

NumPy, as the name suggests, encompasses numerical problem solving with python. NumPy is used for scientific computing and complex computing like Machine learning and Deep Learning. The machine learning algorithms require complex problem solving that involves numerical and multidimensional array objects. In fact, NumPy has been recognized as the foundation library upon which Pandas, Matlotlib, and Scikit Learn have gradually evolved.

SciPy (Scientific Python)

SciPy is also known as the library used for scientific computing of scientifically involved numerical. It involves problem-solving in the fields of mathematics and engineering.

It helps provide a user-friendly platform for efficient numerical routines of numerical integration and optimization.

Beautiful Soup

Beautiful Soup is an advanced library that helps scrape data from the HTML and XML documents. It is known for automatically detecting encodings and analyzing HTML documents with special characters. It navigates the parsed documents for quick and painless data extraction from the web pages.

Pandas

Pandas is an exclusive library that involves data exploration to visualization techniques. An open-source package helps perform the data analysis and manipulation easily in python language. It provides relational and structured data analysis techniques. It is one of the most powerful and easy to use data analysis and manipulation tools.

Matplotlib

MatplotLib is an extensive library for exploration and data visualization. It has strong roots in the python ecosystem and forms the foundation for other libraries too.

If you wish to make histograms, scatterplots, and customizations with an array of colors, themes, and palettes, Matlplotlib is very useful. It is used for complete data exploration and machine learning projects.

Plotly

Plotly is the most widely recognized open-source data visualization library. It helps develop high-quality, interactive, and print-ready publication charts. It is the smoothest data visualization library that works wonders with Boxplot, heat maps, and bubble charts. Plotly magnificently helps you convert your data into attractive looks that accelerate data visualization.

Scikit-Learn

The jack of all trades or the SciKit-learn is the indispensable library that works wonders in solving complex statistical and numerical problem-solving. Scikit learn is used for making master machine learning models. Complex statistical operations require tools for predictive data analysis that work efficiently. It accurately provides statistical modeling including classification, regression, clustering, and dimensionality reduction.

Conclusion

Python is considered a powerful language that comes with a strong army of libraries that are capable of solving complex problems in the field of statistics and numerical problems. Our expert team at Sifars, a leading python development company, helps provide data evaluation, exploration, regression, and visualization an easy task.

The post Python and Its Libraries – A Snapshot appeared first on SiteProNews.

6 Reasons Why an E-commerce Website Is Important for Your Business

posted on January 19, 2022

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The world has gone online. Gone are the days when we used to visit malls and shop at retail stores for our everyday wants and needs. Nowadays, it’s easier than ever before to order a product you like while sitting on your living room couch or browse through different brands on your desktop or mobile device, with the goods arriving at your doorstep only a few days later. Shopping online offers convenience, better deals and a whole new shopping experience.

It is time for you to hop on this bandwagon as well! Starting an e-commerce website for your business ensures that no market remains unexplored by you – after all, over 50% of consumers worldwide have made purchases online. It might be hard to get going at first, but if you do things right from the start, your business surely will profit in the long run.

Why Do You Need an E-commerce Website?

If you have a business, an e-commerce website can be a great way to increase your revenue. Online retail sales have been growing steadily in the past decade and are projected to continue doing so for years to come. In 2010 alone, online shopping accounted for 8% of total retail sales, totaling over $180 billion dollars. This number is only going to keep increasing as more people go online every day and rely on the internet by default rather than just using it when they need information or entertainment.

Reasons Why an E-commerce Website Is Important for Your Business

It’s no wonder that businesses everywhere are turning towards e-commerce websites as a means to boost their bottom line. But why should your business take advantage of this trend? Here are the top six reasons:

1. E-Commerce Helps Businesses Go Global

E-commerce business has no boundaries and your company has a legit chance to get discovered by a worldwide audience. Also, it increases your customer base manifold as more and more countries come within easy reach! As a result, an increase in sales is just a few mouse clicks away.

2. Increases Brand Awareness

One of the basic criteria for running any kind of business is to create your identity and build your reputation in the market. As e-commerce websites are available online, people easily get to know about your company and its products or services. This helps you gain a lot of exposure over time and eventually boost your brand value exponentially.

Building up your brand is much easier when you have an e-commerce website because you can display all available products in one place, so customers are more likely to find out about your business no matter where they’ve encountered it. Also, if your website ranks high in search engines for specific keywords, your business will have even more exposure since potential customers are introduced to it every single time they search for something that you offer online.

3. Your Shop Is Open 24/7

The biggest advantage of having an e-commerce website is that it allows you to maintain a virtual store that operates throughout the day and all through the year! You can rest assured that there will always be someone present online who might just make a purchase on your website at any point in time! Also, such platforms allow you to target a global audience that is always on the lookout for new products and services.

Since e-commerce websites don’t require any physical presence on the part of the owner or employees, there’s no need for them to have restricted opening hours that adhere to certain times of the day or week; thus, an e-commerce store is virtually open 24/7. This means that you can reach people all around the world, no matter when they’re shopping.

4. Offers Better Marketing Opportunities

With e-commerce, it’s possible to introduce ads in newsletters and on search engines, which almost guarantees a whole new wave of customers since they’ll be coming from multiple directions at once. In addition, your customers will have the ability to share your products with their social media contacts through sharing widgets on your website. Advertising through social media shares has been proven to exponentially increase traffic over time thanks to the viral effect.

5. Payment Flexibility

With plenty of marketing features available on e-commerce websites, you have a larger platform to offer more details about your business, its activities, and other related matters to potential customers who might be looking for similar solutions online. With a strong online presence, you can increase your exposure manifold and easily connect with a wider range of audiences! You can gather information about people’s buying habits based on the reviews they leave after having made a purchase on certain sites. This helps you understand what works best for your buyers.

As opposed to physical stores, online stores don’t necessarily require a customer’s financial information upfront; it’s your choice whether you’d rather process their order right away with the option to pay later or in installments. This allows you to have more time to get in touch with your customers, while also building up a line of credit that makes purchasing from you a breeze for the customer. As a result, they will probably keep returning for more.

6. Maximum Security of Transactions

As stated before, dealing with physical inventory is one of the most complicated aspects of starting an online store; however, after this problem has been solved it’s typically smooth sailing for businesses operating online stores. Transactions take place in a virtual space, where both parties are shielded by fraud protection services like PayPal’s Buyer Protection. Fraud has become much less common since the introduction of these services.

With the use of state-of-the-art technologies, data encryption techniques, etc., businesses are able to provide their customers with maximum protection when they are buying products or services from them.

Conclusion

When you invest in an e-commerce website, your business will be able to grow and flourish. In this article, we’ve explored the many benefits of having an online store for yourself or your company with proven examples that show how they can help businesses succeed!

The post 6 Reasons Why an E-commerce Website Is Important for Your Business appeared first on SiteProNews.

Top 11 Must-have Plugins for WordPress Websites in 2021

posted on October 7, 2021

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Are you overwhelmed by the tens of thousands of plugins that WordPress offers and not sure about which plugins you should use?

There are 58,000+ plugins for WordPress website, and it can be difficult to decide which plugins to use. In this huge number, there are also various niche-specific plugins. 

There are, however, many plugins that every website should use. In this article we will look at the Top 11 most important plugins for your WordPress website. But, before that, let’s clearly define the meaning of the term ‘Wordpress plugin’.

What is a WordPress Plugin?

WordPress Plugins are bits of software (tools) that contain functionality that you can add to your WordPress website. They can also be used to improve/expand the existing functionality of your WordPress website. 

WordPress plugins allow you to add a new function to your WordPress website without writing or editing code. If you want to add a new feature/function to your website, there is probably a plugin for that whether it relates to Ecommerce, SEO, Design features, social media, or security. There are numerous plugins for everything.

Now let’s have a look at the Top 11 crucial plugins for a WordPress website:

Top 11 Must-have Plugins for your WordPress website in 2021

1. Yoast SEO

Search engines are the best to drive organic traffic. Every day, Google handles more than 9 billion searches. The organic traffic that you get is based on the SEO of your website. 

Yoast SEO is the most popular SEO tool for WordPress websites, and since 2008 it has helped millions of websites to rank higher in the search engine results. 

Key Features:

  • Helps in finding and adding the right keywords to your website to improve the ranking, indexing, and reach of your website.
  • Shows the optimized percentage of your website and can improve it with suggestions.
  • The readability check helps you in improving the quality of your content. 

Price:

Yoast SEO offers a base version for free. Yoast also provides a premium version that comes with advanced features and support. The pricing begins at $89/year. 

2. WPForms

Every website needs a contact form so that visitors can easily contact you directly. It is an important part of your website because this is where a visitor can be converted into a lead/client. 

The drag and drop feature of the plugin allows you to easily create contact forms, payment forms, online subscription forms, online order forms, and any other form that you want. 

Key Features:

  • Creation of fascinating forms for free.
  • Integration with multiple payment platforms to build the perfect form in less than 5 minutes. 
  • Pre-built templates to build your form quickly. 

Price:

WPForm offers a free version and also a premium version that comes with multiple templates and integrations. Pricing for the premium version starts from $ 39.50/year. 

3. UpdraftPlus

UpdraftPlus is a backup plugin that offers automatic and manual backups for WordPress sites. 

On average, 30,000 websites get hacked each day. Moreover, plugin updates can cause crashes and errors. At times like this, a backup can save you time and money. All WordPress websites should have a backup strategy. 

Key Features:

  • Automatic and manual backups as per your requirement. 
  • Easy restoration of your website to a previous version. 
  • Local as well as cloud backup. 

Price:

UpdraftPlus offers a free, as well as a premium version which is priced at $42 per year and up. 

4. Elementor

Elementor is a website designing tool that you can use to craft your page with attractive and appealing original designs. The plugin allows you to create attractive designs and provide impressive effects without spending money on graphic designers. 

Key Features:

  • Customization of your website based on your preference and taste. 
  • Effects like background overlays, hover effects, animations, and many more with just drag and drop. 
  • 150+ templates to enhance your website into a beautiful masterpiece. 

Price:

The Elementor plugin is free for use, but a pro version is also available which provides more features and benfits. The premium version costs $49/year and up.

5. Constant Contact

How do you connect with your users when they have left your site? Email is most widely used for customer contact. 

Constant Contact is a marketing tool plugin that allows you to create an email list and then send impactful and effective newsletters to the users. 

Key Features:

  • A very useful email marketing tool. 
  • Easy and quick set-up for even non-tech users. 
  • Effortless creation of email lists. 

Price:

The Constant Contact pricing plan begins at $20/month.

6. Wordfence Security

Almost 30% of all websites are powered by WordPress and, as a result, it has become one of the most frequently hacked platforms. The Wordfence security plugin can help safeguard you from hackers. 

The plugin can put up a firewall, perform regular security checks, and help get rid of malware. 

Key Features:

  • Provides complete protection to your website. 
  • Works in autopilot mode.
  • Helps to block thousands of attacks every month. 

Price:

It offers a free version and also a premium version that costs $99 per license and up. 

7. Optimole

Did you know that if your website takes more than 3 seconds to load, you will lose half of your visitors? In many cases, they will not visit your website again. 

Images take more time to load, and therefore they can increase your website’s loading time. You do not want your website’s content to kill your website’s loading speed. In such a case, optimizing images can help you improve your website’s loading speed, and Optimole helps you by doing this. 

Key Features:

  • Automatically compresses graphical content. 
  • Optimizes PNG and JPEG images. 
  • Helps in resizing images uploaded to your website. 

Price:

The Plugin can be used for free up to 5,000 visitors a month. After that, you can use the premium version for $22.52 per month. 

8. Revive Old Post

The most used mobile app category is social media apps. People use social media apps regularly, and they spend hours on these apps. Therefore the best place to target them is on social media platforms. 

The perfect plugin for this is the Revive old post plugin which can bring more traffic to your website by taking your website’s old and new publications and sharing them on Twitter and Facebook. 

Key Features:

  • Auto sharing of your site’s new and old articles on FB & Twitter. 
  • Drive more traffic to your website
  • Helps in scheduling social media posts. 

Price:

Revive Old Post offers a free version or you can opt for the premium version which has more features. Premium version pricing starts at $88.50/year. 

9. Sassy Social Share

Have you seen various social media buttons when you read articles or when you are on a website? These little social media buttons allow you to effortlessly share the content of a website/web page on social media platforms. 

Sassy Social Share plugin allows you to add these social media buttons to your website so that visitors can easily share your content. 

Key Features:

  • Offers sharing buttons for all the widely used social media platforms. 
  • Displays the current share counts for each page. 
  • Allows you to pick and customize button styles. 

Price:

You can choose the free version with basic functionalities, or you can opt for the premium version that comes with various add-ons and is priced at $7.99 and up.

10. Cookie Notice and Compliance for GDPR/CCPA

Do you receive a cookie notification/pop-up when you visit a new website? This is mandatory for various countries under their laws and regulations for data privacy. 

You can enable cookie notifications for your site using the Cookie Notice and Compliance for GDPR/CCPA plugin. 

Key Features:

  • Showcases the cookie notice to all visitors. 
  • Provides a notice template or allows you to write your own cookie notice. 
  • Enables visitors to check the cookie settings of your website. 

Price:

Cookie Notice and Compliance for GDPR/CCPA is a free plugin. 

11. WP Rocket

WP Rocket is a plugin that will decrease your site’s load time and increase page speed. It is a cache plugin that creates a dynamic cache of your webpages so that the server can easily and quickly load them, resulting in faster loading speeds. 

Having a faster website has a direct impact on your site’s  UX. 

Key Features:

  • Creates cache of your website’s dynamically generated pages
  • Helps load pages faster
  • Improves the user-experience of your website. 

Price:

WP Rocket’s premium version pricing starts at $49/year.

Conclusion

This sums up our picks of the Top 11 crucial plugins for your WordPress website. We hope you find some interesting plugins in this list and that it helps you decide which plugins to use.

If we missed any must-have WordPress plugins that you think should be in this list, do let us know in the comment section. 

The post Top 11 Must-have Plugins for WordPress Websites in 2021 appeared first on SiteProNews.

Types of Web Development Teams and How to Choose the Right One for Your Project

posted on October 4, 2021

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Scrolling through Internet websites seems to be such an easy process. But have you ever thought about how the users’ journey is created? How can the idea be transformed into a digital working platform? Even though no one is surprised upon hearing the words “web development” nowadays, it is not simply pressing the buttons. Building a website requires not only extensive technical skills but also creative thinking, expertise in marketing, and impeccable knowledge of programming languages.

In theory, one person can create a website if he or she possesses at least some of the skills listed above. Nevertheless, it is unlikely that such a site can ever be monetized. Such a resource will not reflect the company’s values and won’t be able to become a quality business card.

Therefore, it is better to divide a process into different tasks and entrust real professionals with them. But here comes the next puzzling question: how to compose an appropriate web development team to make sure the future website is perfect from top to bottom? Let’s delve into the issue of web development and study it step by step.

Types of Web Development Teams

Of course, before gathering staff members it is crucial to define the type of the team and its main points to focus on. Web development teams can be categorized as follows:

  • Local development teams: This type can significantly simplify the process of communication between the team members and their clients. Moreover, it will be easier to solve legal problems in case there are any. Still, the cost of services can be relatively high.
  • Onshore outsourcing: This corresponds to a team working from the same country as their clients. The main benefits include the same time zone and similar mental peculiarities. Team members and clients are quick in catching on with one another, so it is a good option.
  • Development teams from neighboring countries: This variant can turn out to be slightly cheaper than the previous types of teams.
  • Offshore teams: When choosing a team located far away from your spot, be ready to face some challenges in communication and mutual understanding. Nevertheless, this option will be available for those relying on a shoestring budget.

Choosing Experts for Your Web Development Team

When building a team, do not forget that it should be not only a collection of professionals but also a “close-knit family” of people who move towards their common objective. The following checklist is elaborated to show you what specialists must a web development team include:

Market Analyst

Analytical work is an important stage of the development process. It is a way to understand the needs of the target audience, learn from the best examples, recognize existing mistakes, and eliminate them. The main responsibility is to study the needs of customers, devise a strategy for the website creation and further promotion, and introduce the scheme of its implementation. Selecting the right vector of project development without a marketer can turn out to be more difficult than expected.

UX / UI Designer

A UX designer’s function is to create a prototype of the final web resource. Their work is indispensable for understanding the placement of elements, determining the functionality, and selecting the tools for implementation. The UI designer creates a cover for the sample, developed by the UX designer. It is in their function to make the site user-friendly and stylish.

Front-End Developer

A front-end developer is a specialist who codes the website pages, divides the text into separate pages, and assembles it with appropriate illustrations. They know how to create HTML templates for websites and write HTML code, know how to graphically design a page, and place elements on it correctly. A front-end developer implements the idea of ​​the page conceived by the designer in the form of code.

Back-End Developer

One of the main tasks in the web development process rests with the functions of a programmer. A backend developer creates components that are available to the user of an application or site through an interface. To put it simply, programmers are those people who develop everything that the user does not see and cannot touch.

Therefore, the work of the backend specialists can be extremely difficult to evaluate, in contrast to the front-end, whose results can be estimated by ordinary people.

Project Manager

Even the most experienced team can face the problem of inconsistency and lack of mutual understanding. Therefore, a leader is always needed when there is a project to deal with. A manager solves administrative and organizational tasks and monitors the progress of a team, its ability to comply with deadlines. Project managers have the primary responsibility for achieving a successful result. With the effective work of a team leader, a client is relieved of the need to control and manage the entire development process.

SEO Specialist

Do not rush to worry but completing a web development project is just a start point. Then you will need to attract clients to it, which means that SEO experts should be engaged from the very beginning.

Internal website optimization allows it to move organically in search engines. This is performed by an SEO specialist. They create the semantic core, work out the content plan, and develop the structure of the texts to be relevant for further promotion.

Additional Professionals You May Need

Web development teams are often supplemented with experts in other fields, especially when the projects are large-scale and comprehensive:

  • Web server administrators
  • Writers and content managers (creating content is one of the most important parts of filling the web resource)
  • Testers (making sure there are no malfunctions before launching the product)
  • Technical designers with a growth perspective

Conclusion

The process of selecting an appropriate web development team for the project is not as difficult as it may seem at first sight. But remember that creating a digital resource requires the extensive knowledge and experience of several professionals.

Therefore, be ready to arm yourself with some patience and look up to those teams consisting of an array of specialists. Pay attention to the distribution of functions as well as the overall spirit inside the team. A combination of professional expertise and sharing ideas and experience is a key to quality web development teamwork.

The post Types of Web Development Teams and How to Choose the Right One for Your Project appeared first on SiteProNews.

Learn Programming Tips & Tricks with These Courses

posted on September 27, 2021

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In our world, where the Internet and technology play a crucial role not only in our everyday lives but also in business, programming has long become one of the most in-demand professions. A good specialist in this area can enjoy a whole range of benefits from a high and stable salary to the opportunity to work remotely and being your own boss.

Moreover, knowing the basics of programming will come in handy even if you are not planning to build a career as a developer. In fact, it can give you a competitive advantage in many other roles and niches. Thus, learning programming makes pretty good sense in the 21st century.

But how to learn it? It may seem rather obvious to go the traditional way. This basically means to enroll at college majoring in programming, survive several years of studies and endless homework, though students can always get pro help at DoMyEssay, and start building a career after graduation. But there is a much simpler path!

Below is our ranking of the top 5 courses that will help you grasp the basics and learn vital programming tips and tricks faster and easier.

1. Understanding Web Development: A Beginners Guide to the Web

In case you need to gain knowledge piece by piece from the very basics, this course will give you a great introduction to programming and web development, in particular. This course offers an excellent overview of the basic concepts and shares a bunch of handy tips and tricks with you.

Best part? If you are new to SkillShare, once you register, you can use the platform and try different courses free of charge for an entire month. There are no risks for you. So, if it got you interested, you should better give it a try.

2. Complete Python Bootcamp: Go From Zero to Hero in Python 3

If you don’t know where to start, this next course that is available at Udemy is a perfect starting point for everyone seeking to master programming. Being one of the #1 programming languages of the past years, Python is something you definitely want to learn.

Despite its popularity, Python is also excellent due to its intuitiveness. It is very easy to master. And, with the tips and tricks from real pros that you will learn from this course, mastering this language will get even simpler. So, don’t miss the chance!

3. The Complete Java MasterClass

Want to learn from the best? Then this masterclass that can also be found on Udemy is a perfect bet for you. The instructor of this course, Tim Buchalka, has been in the field of programming for nearly 40 years and has worked for a large number of famous companies, including Mitsubishi, Saab, and many others. What is more, the tutor has 12 courses on this platform, over 1 million students, and a total rating of 4.5 stars out of 5.

After taking this course, you will learn the programming best practices and find many handy tips and tricks to make your journey simple and enjoyable.

4. Introduction to Coding with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript

If you were looking for a fast and easy way to master the art of programming, our next option was designed right for you. This course covers everything a beginner should know, including the basics of coding with JavaScript, HTML, and CSS, as well as many tips and tricks frequently used by professionals.

The course is provided by the International Open Academy, which has already helped over 1 million students around the globe to master the professions of their choice. So, don’t hesitate to check it out.

5. iOS 13 & Swift 5 – The Complete iOS App Development Bootcamp

For those of you seeking to master programming for mobile, this next option is a great choice that can offer a variety of benefits. This course will meet the needs of both beginners and those who are already working in programming.

At this moment, the price for this Bootcamp is only $12,99, which is a great price given the large number of programming secrets the instructor will reveal to you in the framework of this course. So, in case you are interested in creating software for mobile, this is a course you should try.

To Sum Up

So, these are just a few of the many options available for you out there, but these courses have been tested by time and millions of students who have successfully completed them. So, hopefully, each of you will find something to match their needs.

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7+ Tips for Recovering from Google Core Algorithm Updates

posted on September 10, 2021

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What are the core Google algorithm updates?

Simply said, Google’s algorithm is updated several times a year and doesn’t necessarily target specific concerns. A broad core update is a change to their main search algorithm that looks at a website’s expertise, authoritativeness, trustworthiness (E-A-T), and quality in a more holistic way.

Because of all of these many variables, Google can’t honestly tell us what has to be changed on a website without divulging the most crucial components of their algorithm. It’s common to be impacted by an algorithm update, especially if your website still has a lot of potential for development.

Here is everything that you must know about the recovery process from Google algorithm updates.

Tips to recover from Google core algorithm updates

Check these tips to know what to do after the latest Google update strikes. Here are all the tricks that will help you get through the core updates:

1. Look for inconsistencies in your website using Google’s guidelines.

Use the guidelines of Google’s broad core updates to the benefit of your website. They provide you with an idea of what your website could do better. Make the most of it. It might take time and work, but it will be worthwhile for the success of your SEO. You can also read Google’s revised Search Quality Raters Guidelines to better grasp Google’s criteria for a high-quality, helpful website.

2. Make Use of Real Expertise

One common suggestion for improving E-A-T is to ensure that all authors have bios attached to their bylines in their articles or on a separate author biography page. What’s more crucial is that your content is written with the assistance of objective specialists. 

Expert reviewers, such as doctors, psychologists, and nurses, are used by many of the winning websites to audit information and guarantee it is correct. While utilising professional reviewers is not a Google-verified ranking criterion, it does improve your content by making it more accurate and hence trustworthy.

3. Use the Editorial Policies and Ad Disclosures to your advantage.

Sites that are open with their users and clear about their mission tend to perform better in organic search. This is why it’s essential to have clear editorial and advertising standards that explain how your content is reviewed, who writes for you, what types of ads will be displayed, and how those ads are chosen.

4. Improve the quality of the content for the latest SEO updates

It’s no accident that the majority of Google’s algorithm update winners have the best content quality. Content should be well-researched, balanced, and well-edited, and should include citations to reputable sources. External links aid Google in making connections between your sites and the content from which you get your information.

5. Use language that isn’t overly salesy.

On pages meant to provide advice or information, it’s critical to avoid mixing informational and transactional language. This mix of informative content and a call to action may cause the user to doubt the rest of the page’s information. A page regarding “rosacea” should not, for example, push the user to buy the author’s book as a rosacea remedy. 

This remedy is powerful to get through the latest Google algorithm updates. It was also one of the compelling connections discovered in the latest research between losing websites and page elements: losers are 433 per cent more likely than winners to include calls to action on pages with medical material. 

6. Resolve any technical issues that may arise.

After algorithm-related performance declines, addressing E-A-T, content quality, and user experience is critical, but technical SEO cannot be overlooked. All of your other efforts may be in vain if Google has problems crawling, indexing, and presenting your material. 

Following a core change, here are several options for enhancing your technical SEO:

  • For concerns with crawlability and indexation, look at the coverage report in Google Search Console.
  • Check if your site has any systematic page performance issues that could affect its overall usability.
  • Make sure there aren’t any AMP problems, which you can check in Google Search Console.
  • Make sure your pagination isn’t broken from the start.
  • Check your Google Search Console notifications frequently to be sure your site hasn’t received a manual action.

7. In the SERPs, look for a Local Intent.

Consider all the search results for your query and check that the keywords you believed were “generic” aren’t suddenly being classed as “local” in intent. For example, the keyword “mattresses,” for instance, could cause Google to pull up local results. If you see city names, map packs, and localised pages ranking for a query, it’s a good indication that you’ll need to develop a strategy for it.

8. Inquire for assistance

It’s difficult for you to spot the flaws in your website as the owner because you have your perspective to work with. However, suppose you seek assistance from a community that shares your interests or is knowledgeable about the same topics as you; in that case, you can ask them to provide feedback on your site, and you will be able to see flaws that you were previously unaware of. It will only help you improve and get well in the core update recovery times.

Conclusion

That is all there is to it. It may appear simple, yet completing these tasks can be difficult. The result, however, will undoubtedly be satisfying.

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How to Create a Website that Wows

posted on September 10, 2021

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In today’s digital world, creating a website that stands out is a must for any brand. No matter what type of business or industry you are in, there is likely some steep competition on the internet. Making your website one that wows visitors and keeps them around is pivotal to your online success. 

So how do you create a website that truly captures the attention of web browsers? Thinking outside the box and adding unique features are sure to get you noticed. However, it’s important to stay true to your brand and its image and personality. So, here’s some strategies to create a site that wows browsers while still being authentic to your brand. 

Make it Fast and Functional

The first impression that users get from your site will likely be how quickly it loads on their device. In fact, 53% of customers will simply leave a site if it takes more than three seconds to load. Plus, the loading speed is a factor in Google’s search engine algorithms and a faster site can earn you a high spot in search results. 

Make your loading speed a priority to be sure users will stick around long enough to see just how awesome your web page is. Test and troubleshoot your load times regularly. Then look for ways to make it as quick as possible. Everything from compressing your files to evaluating your server type can make a big difference in load time. 

The other component of making a great first impression is ensuring that your site is fully functional on all devices. Mobile browsing makes up 54.8% of web traffic. Not having a mobile-friendly site could mean that you’ll miss the boat on all of those potential visitors. Make sure your site is easy to navigate on touch screens and loads quickly on mobile devices as well.

Create an Interactive Experience

One trend taking the online world by storm is gamification. This technique creates a more engaging and interactive experience that can draw web surfers in and keep them coming back. And the best part is that it can be incorporated into every website, no matter the type of brand. 

Gamification creates a competitive vibe that appeals to many consumers. Creating special badges for those that leave the most frequent reviews or tiers based on purchase history gives customers something to strive for. With this technique, they are enticed to achieve higher levels by returning to your site again and again.

You can also use gamification as a fun way to provide discounts and share promotions. Who doesn’t love spinning a virtual wheel to reveal the percentage off they’ve earned? The most important part of gamification is ensuring it’s enjoyable to the user, adds value to your site, and that the features work well across all devices.

Customization is Key

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Your users want a personalized experience when they visit your site. This is true whether you are selling goods or a service. Being able to feel that your site works to meet their unique needs will make it stand out from the crowd. 

Online shopping is a great tool, but many shoppers miss the trying before buying aspect of in-person shopping. If you are selling things like clothing or accessories, add a tool to your site where visitors can upload a photo and “try on†your inventory. For home goods sites, features that allow shoppers to add images of their own spaces and see how your items look in them can be a big win. 

“Build Your Own†type tools are another way to provide visitors with a customized experience. If you are selling food or drinks, allow users to craft their own meals or beverages virtually. Include nutritional info as an added bonus. If you see custom products, make sure customers can customize everything from color to size with the touch of a button. They will be more confident that the one-of-a-kind item they are buying will be exactly what they are envisioning.

Get Visual

A whopping 65 percent of people are visual learners. So while you want to communicate plenty of information via text on your website, visuals are what will likely get you noticed. Your graphics have the potential to make or break the whole feel and vibe that your web pages create.

Make sure you use relevant, high-quality graphics that align with your brand. Product images should be clear and taken from multiple angles. Moveable, 360-degree images are even better. It’s important that customers can really get a feel for what products look like in person from your photos. 

The vast majority of websites and brands can use infographics to their advantage. Create one that shows the steps of using your product in new and unique ways. Use catchy images to create an infographic full of statistics regarding your service’s industry. Infographics are great tools to add value to your website in an appealing and easy to interpret way. 

Create Valuable Content

One way to make your website wow users is to provide useful information to them with no obligation. This shows that you care about your visitors getting something out of your website. It will also keep them returning in the future to see the new and exciting content that you have to offer. 

Blogs have stood the test of time in content marketing and for good reason. They are customizable, fairly easy to implement, and can work for nearly every website. Post to your blog regularly and create a clear tone and personality. Drive kitchen enthusiasts to your cooking site with weekly recipes. Or, blog about the latest fashion trends on your retail site. Making the blog relevant to your brand and useful to visitors will encourage them to return again and again.

Videos are a powerful tool to take advantage of for your website. Product demos are a great way to familiarize visitors with features and usage tips. A fun video can even be used to set the mood. Seasonal shorts, holiday ads, and mini-music videos are all awesome ways to appeal to all of the senses and make your site stand out. 

Making a Memorable Website

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Internet users are fickle and there are plenty of choices out there to distract them from your site. Make sure it’s memorable, innovative, and speaks in a unique way for your brand to keep them sticking around. And it’ll pay off in longer browsing times, return visits, and a growing and loyal customer base that’s around for the long run.

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The Advantages and Disadvantages of Code Obfuscation

posted on August 24, 2021

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Code obfuscation is the process of changing executable code such that it is no longer understandable, interpretable, or executable. The source code is obfuscated to the point where it is unreadable and impossible to understand, let alone execute, by a third party.

Obfuscation of code does not affect the application’s end-user interface or the code’s intended outcome. It’s only a preventative measure to make the code worthless for a possible hacker who gets their hands on an application’s executable code.

Why is it necessary to obfuscate code?

Obfuscation of code is especially important for open-source systems, which have a significant disadvantage in code hackability for personal gain. Obfuscation is especially important for source code that is distributed insecurely.

Developers ensure that their product’s intellectual property is protected against security threats, unauthorised access, and the discovery of application flaws by making a program challenging to reverse engineer. This procedure limits malicious access to source code and ensures varying levels of code protection depending on the type of obfuscation technique used.

If the code is obfuscated, the most critical deciding factor against carrying out a reverse-engineering assault increases significantly. Because the decompiled code is rendered unreadable, the time, cost, and resource factors all weigh in favor of discarding the code when it is obfuscated.

The advantages of code obfuscation

A security team can perform code obfuscation in apps, especially those hosted on open-source platforms, and this has numerous benefits. In an untrustworthy environment, it is always preferable to deploy an obfuscated application, which makes it more difficult for attackers to inspect and analyze the code.

This procedure assures no loopholes for debugging, manipulating, or disseminating the application for illicit benefit. This layer of security is essential for apps that deal with business-critical consumer personal information.

Most obfuscators also clean up code by deleting unnecessary metadata, dead codes, and duplicates. As a result of this minification, the compilation process is sped up, resulting in faster code execution and faster outputs, upping the ante on code performance.

Another significant benefit of code obfuscation is that it makes it difficult to reverse-engineer a program, meaning code distribution on open-source platforms is no longer a concern. If numerous levels of security are to be implemented, iterative code obfuscation is especially well-known.

The security team uses one or more obfuscation algorithms in this technique, with the output of the previous algorithm serving as an input to the next in line, and so on. As a result, the attacker may become confused about the program’s original goal and what is visible to them, resulting in deobfuscation attempts failing.

Because cracking an obfuscated code demands real effort, talent, money, and time, code obfuscation is a practical approach to dealing with threats and weeding out attackers.

Even if hackers succeed, the deobfuscated code may not resemble the original code very closely. Though true effectiveness measures are difficult to come by, most companies obfuscate code for security and privacy reasons.

The negative effects of code obfuscation

All obfuscation techniques have some impact on code performance, even if it is minor. Depending on the amount of code obfuscated and the complexity of the methods used, deobfuscating the code may take a significant amount of time.

The majority of automatic obfuscators can decode an obfuscated program. Obfuscation slows down the process of reverse engineering; it does not prevent it. Some anti-virus software will warn users if they visit a website that uses obfuscated code because obfuscation can be used to hide malicious code. This could prevent people from using genuine apps and drive them away from reputable businesses.

Conclusion

To tackle complicated security threats, code obfuscation is insufficient. The availability of automated tools and hackers’ expertise make it harder to deobfuscate code, but it is not impossible to reverse-engineer.

As a result, code obfuscation is not a one-stop shop for all applicable security requirements. The development team could use various code obfuscation approaches to secure their code in an untrusted environment, depending on the security need, nature of the application, and performance benchmark.

These should be carried out while taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of each technique. Other AppSec initiatives, such as encryption, RASP, data retention policies, and so on, should be supported by this strategy. When combined with RASP solutions like AppSealing, it becomes a potent antidote to today’s security concerns.

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6 Major SEO Factors to Consider in Web Design

posted on August 20, 2021

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Search Engine Optimisation is important for businesses that want to operate online. Many of us have this notion that SEO is something that is to be “added later” after creating the website. However, SEO is something that needs to be built-in while designing your website. After all, it is your website that showcases the first impression of your business on users and search engines. But this first impression is not just about how your website looks but also about how optimised it is. This article shares 6 major SEO factors to consider in web design

1. Mobile-friendly design 

We live in a mobile-first age. No matter whether we are searching for a restaurant or a local store, we browse websites with our mobile phones first. According to Oberlo, 53% of people who shop online every day rely on their smartphones. Therefore, the first factor to consider in web design is mobile friendliness.

To create a mobile-friendly design, you must consider the needs of your user. The way users interact or want to interact with a website on their mobile phone is quite different from how they interact with a website through a desktop or any other device. 

Moreover, Google has also been considering mobile-friendliness an important factor for SEO. So, creating a mobile-friendly website will not only provide a better user experience but will also enhance your search engine rankings. 

2. Usability of the website 

By “usability” we mean how easy it is to use your website – whether a user can perform various tasks on your website such as navigation, signup, placing an order et cetera without getting confused and whether first-time users can understand the purpose of your website easily.

Usability directly affects the SEO of a website. If a website is difficult to navigate, users will abandon it quickly. Also, it will prevent them from returning to your website. Your website must be designed in a way that satisfies their search and provides them with what they are looking for. Google understands that well before users while indexing a website and hence would never rank an “inefficient” website on the search engine. 

3. Content of the website 

Where you place your content and what kind of content you place on your website, all these things matter a lot in your search engine rankings. No matter how clear the layout of your website is, if the content is not eye-catching and valuable, users might not be interested in your service/product. Here are different types of content you need to present on your website for better SEO: 

  • Content that brings awareness: Blogs, informational posts, webinars, FAQs and guides
  • Content that helps users understand why you are the best: Case studies, product information, user guides, video tutorials 
  • Content that drives conversations: Testimonials, reviews, free consultation, free service 

John, who offers dissertation help in business management to college students says, “creating content for your website that caters to bringing awareness, driving conversations and showcasing your purpose will not only make your website easy to understand for your customers but will straightforwardly solve most of their queries. In all, enhancing your search engine rankings.”

4. Choose text over images 

Images make things easier. They are attractive and allow users to understand and remember your website. But, search engines appreciate text over images when it comes to ranking a website. If you add any important information about your website in the form of animation, videos, images, graphics or JavaScript, it is likely to be ignored by search engines. Therefore it is recommended that all key information should be added as HTML code rather than an image. 

But, how do you enhance your website if you do not add images? 

You can add supplemental information like caption, transcript and metadata to help search engines determine the value of the content and hence drive more traffic to your website. Always provide alternate text or descriptions for images. You can also add OpenGraph and Twitter Cards, so the images can be used in social shares.

5. File optimisation 

Not only alternative text is required for all your images, but the name of your image files or any other media files also matters. For instance, instead of leaving the file names as IMG001.jpg, IMG002.jpg etc, you can use more contextual names like Web_vital_Statistics.jpg. etc. This will help search engines understand the context of your images. 

Similarly, you should choose to upload small file sizes and thus contribute to site optimisation. Large files can slow down your website thereby increasing bounce rates and poor user experience. This can drop your search engine rankings. Samantha, who works as an SEO expert for online dissertation writing services says, “if you are using large-sized files and videos, you can choose lazy-loading, where necessary information or pages are loaded first to enhance the user experience and decrease the site’s bounce rates.” 

6. Enhance website navigation 

Do you know that website navigation is important for SEO? In fact, search engines crawl and know more about your website through website navigation. Steve, who offers onlinedissertation proposal help in e-commerce says, “if you have designed a well-structured website that can take the search engine crawlers to the most important pages of your website, it can help enhance the authority of your website.”

Conversely, if your website has no proper navigation system or it is overcrowded with too much information scattered all over the website, search engine crawlers will not be able to identify the important pages of your website. 

Steve has many dissertation examplesthat showcase that a website’s navigation structure also enables users to find the information they are looking for. In all, it enhances the search engine ranking of the website. 

Wrapping up 

SEO should be your priority while designing your website. Create a mobile-friendly design and work upon enhancing the user experience as much as you can. File optimization also plays a major role in enhancing the SEO of a website. Prioritise uploading smaller files, keep contextual names of all your files and use lazy-loading. Always provide descriptions for the images that you upload and ensure that your website has smooth navigation. Hope these 6 tips will help you design a search engine-friendly website that not only impresses many users but also the search engines! 

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Are you having trouble recruiting Developers for your Project? Take a look at the following Ideas

posted on August 7, 2021

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Finding exceptional talent is getting increasingly challenging. Companies are competing aggressively for the best candidates, and everyone is upping their hiring game in a variety of ways, from offering great incentives to entirely altering company cultures.

Software development, one of the world’s fastest-growing industries, exemplifies this competition. It’s also very meritocratic, which presents a fascinating issue for hiring managers: how do you get the best engineers before your competitors do?

Here are some suggestions to assist you in resolving the issue:

1. Understand the Fundamentals

No one expects a recruiter to be a code expert, but getting to know the business may be quite beneficial. You’ll be more educated about the qualities you’re searching for in applicants, and you’ll find it simpler to follow the candidate’s and hiring manager’s talks.

There are a few things you should be aware of:

What technologies are programmers employing? Your development team might be utilizing a variety of programming languages, each with its own set of features. C#, for example, is an object-oriented programming language that is frequently used in games, but PHP is utilized for server-side scripting and content-heavy apps. You don’t have to be an expert, but the very least you can do is inquire about the most essential technology used by your team from your recruiting manager.

What is the average cost of this service? Developers’ pay is influenced not just by their years of experience, but also by the technology they specialize in. Once you know what you’re looking for, you’ll have a better idea of how easy it is to find developers and how much compensation you’ll have to spend to get them.

What are the obligations of the candidate? Will this new hire bring a skill set to the table that the rest of the team lacks? Will they be working on your primary project or a variety of others? Become familiar with the team’s specific expectations for this new developer.

2. Place a premium on practical knowledge

When it comes to recruiting developers, real experience should always take precedence over what is mentioned on a CV. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t evaluate someone’s education; you should, but only as part of the whole picture, not as a deal-breaker.

Giving code exams a higher priority in your hiring approach is the most apparent way to highlight practical expertise. If the candidate is hired, a well-designed coding test should reflect the problems that will be part of their work. During the one-on-one interview, be sure to provide your hiring managers the opportunity to go over the exam with the candidate in further depth.

Another method to focus on your prospects’ practical abilities is to request a portfolio of their prior work. You’ll be able to view real samples of their work this way. You may spend as much time as you need in the interview discussing how they completed those projects, what their biggest hurdles were, how they addressed problems, and so on. If you’re looking to employ a front-end developer, you might want to consider asking some react interview questions.

3. Take into account freelancers

If your team needs a specialized employee with a certain skill set for a specific project, a freelance developer may be a better option. You may ask your existing devs for recommendations; they’ll almost certainly have someone in mind.

References are crucial when evaluating freelance developers. Pay special attention to the profiles of freelancers: Most freelance platforms are quite open, and customers’ reviews, whether positive or negative, are typically public.

4. Develop a Talent Pool

If you’re having difficulties finding the people you need, it’s possible that you’re dealing with a talent pool that’s too small. You may broaden your reach in several ways:

Make the job description a little more flexible. A job description that is excessively detailed may turn off potential candidates who are concerned about not fulfilling all of your overly stringent requirements. Only include the technologies and abilities that are truly required; you may learn more about a candidate during the interview.

5. Pay particular attention to soft skills

When it comes to recruiting engineers, never overlook soft skills. If you only look for technical expertise, you could wind up choosing a candidate who lacks a strong work ethic and poor organizational abilities. Furthermore, according to one research, soft-skills training may provide a 256 percent return on investment, indicating that soft skills are more valuable than you would believe.

Because working effectively from home necessitates high levels of responsibility, work ethic, and task management, soft skills are especially crucial for applicants who will be working remotely.

Don’t worry if finding the top developers takes a long time and effort. Recruiting talents might take a long time.

However, there are certain things you can do to put yourself in a better position to succeed. Collaborate closely with the leaders of your development team, expand your talent pool, and be patient. It will get simpler once you’ve made your first few outstanding hires: Good developers are always ready to be a part of a winning team!

The post Are you having trouble recruiting Developers for your Project? Take a look at the following Ideas appeared first on SiteProNews.

Why Consider Outsourcing Software Development in 2021

posted on August 6, 2021

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The outsourcing industry reached $92.5 billion in 2019, with a rapid rise in 2021. The pandemic is a significant driver for the high demand for software outsourcing services. Software development outsourcing trends showcase that companies now prefer to outsource rather than hire in-house resources for IT projects.

This article will focus majorly on the reasons to outsource software development in 2021. We will begin by understanding what led to the rise in demand for outsourcing software development projects. Whether companies are considering outsourcing software development to India, Poland, Ukraine, or any other country, depends on where they can find the right skills for their budget. 

What Led to the Rise in Software Development Outsourcing in 2021?

Three things are major contributors to software development outsourcing. It is an interconnected web of significant factors that led to an increase in software development outsourcing projects. 

The most significant reason for the rise in software development outsourcing services is the need for digital solutions during the pandemic. Companies now want B2C applications to reach their customers at home. On the other hand, they also want high-quality enterprise applications to manage their business operations.

This brings us to the second point. Since remote work has become a mainstream possibility and is showing excellent results, it makes sense to outsource software development. Companies can hire world-class talent from far away places without asking them and project managers to come on-site. It saves massive costs and gives them access to resources that might not have been available earlier on.

The third aspect is that the pandemic is leading to more losses for companies than profit. Since there’s less revenue, extra expenses have to be cut back. However, the need for web applications and digital solutions is imminent. Due to a lack of funds, hiring an in-house development team heavily impacts the budget. Therefore, outsourcing software development projects is the best option to reduce the costs and still get an effective product to serve  customers.

Likely, the software development outsourcing market trends will only multiply. As companies realize the economies of scale they can reap from outsourcing talents, there is going to be a positive rise in demand. Let’s look at the different reasons why companies should consider software development outsourcing services for their IT projects in 2021.

5 Reasons to Outsource Software Development in 2021

When companies outsource a software development company to work on different IT projects, they leverage their expertise and get significant benefits. They are adept in the latest technologies and help businesses transform digitally through their experts.

In 2021, the pandemic clearly highlights the advantages of outsourcing software development. With the rise in the gig economy, more and more companies now hire software developers who can work on specific projects and then leave. The more flexibility they have, the better they are able to operate their control over the development process.

Here are 5 reasons to outsource software development in 2021:

1. Reduction in costs

One of the most significant reasons to consider software development outsourcing projects is to reduce costs. In-house developers require a salary, perks & benefits, bonuses, and compensations. There are a lot of maintenance costs as well. And then, what if there’s a need to build a team of developers?

Cost-saving is one of the leading benefits of outsourcing software development. Enterprises can pay a monthly amount to a custom software development company that can work on their project. Outsourcing software development to India will cost them around $30 to $70 per hour, whereas, in developed countries, it would cost about $70 to $150 per hour.

2. Better skill set

When companies ask about the reasons for outsourcing, access to a diverse skill set definitely makes the list. A broader base of talent and experienced developers are always a priority for companies. Skilled experts are much more expensive to acquire than regular employees.

An outsourcing company would have a pool of talent for different technologies and projects. Whether companies want a developer for Ruby on Rails or Laravel, the outsourcing software services partner will have it all. They can ensure the highest quality of work through developers who have knowledge of different technology stacks.

3. Focus on core operations

The IT team comprises developers, business analysts, project managers, and quality analysts. However, by outsourcing software development to India, not only do companies save costs, but they also save a lot of time. They can use the time to focus on their core operations related to the project.

Want a development team to migrate the database? Companies can outsource to a software development company and engage their core developers in building new features. They can outsource project managers and business analysts as well to ensure that developers don’t need to spend extra time on managing the project as well.

4. Eliminate uncertainties

Another of the reasons to outsource software development is to reduce uncertainties and minimize any risks in the process. How does this happen? For one – the software development company takes care of everything – from planning to testing of the product. The business has nothing to worry about.

Apart from that, outsourcing companies have developers who have already worked on such products before. They communicate better and bring transparency to the development process. Without any problem, they ensure that the risk is minimal because they are responsible for any issues during the development.

3. Round the clock

Companies can utilize time zone differences in their favor. They can plan and coordinate the project details and requirements when the times overlap. After that, the developers will work even when the employees at the company are sleeping. This is one of the biggest benefits of outsourcing software development.

In essence, it will also lead to faster completion of the software development outsourcing projects. Since developers are working round the clock, there are higher chances of reducing the development time. The project managers can review the work the next day and manage any inefficiencies that may occur.

Bottom Line

The software development outsourcing trends are clear. They showcase that companies are looking for partners who can help with IT projects at a lower cost from wherever they are. Enterprises need outsourcing partners for better productivity, efficiency, and cost savings. In the time to come, we will only see outsourcing rise due to digital technologies becoming mainstream across the globe.

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Laravel vs Symfony: Which PHP Frameworks Did You Choose for Your Framework?

posted on July 27, 2021

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Symfony and Laravel Development have been struggling to gain a better position in the war. Both PHP frameworks help faster web development and meet business requirements if you have the proper knowledge and expertise.

A Brief Overview of Laravel Development

It is primarily used for custom web app development by using PHP development. Laravel Development is a server-side framework that focuses on data manipulation. It uses the Model-View-Controller structure that helps in keeping the development process structured and effortless.

Some unique features of the Laravel framework are:

Template Engine

Laravel helps web developers by giving them ease of development and lightweight through the Blade template engine. This framework helps to build dynamic content with the help of CSS and JS files in the templates.

Artisan

A Command Line Interface which handles repetitive tasks during Laravel development. It reduces the app development time and effort with a cleaner coding interface. Artisan can be used to create MVC files from the CLI and manage them easily.

Eloquent ORM

This tool helps web developers to engage with the database using SQL programming language. Instead of the PHP syntax, the ORM is faster.

Libraries

There are pre-installed, object-oriented, third-party, and other libraries. Laravel’s libraries help to add functionalities, build modular, and develop effective web applications.

Migration System

In Laravel Development, you have less risk of losing data. The application’s database structure does not need recreation every time the developers introduce changes in the structure.  

A Brief Overview of Symfony Development

The web developers get a robust set of tools that help in developing complex web apps effortlessly. Some key features of this framework are:

Bundles

It is a collection of organized files. Developers use these to build and reconfigure apps. This helps web developers reduce costs and development time.

Components

There are 30 components that help in the development process. Web developers have the freedom to build their modules for a better user experience.

Customization

It has a vast collection of functionalities and features to support custom web app development. This ensures that the platform matches customer expectations and trends.

Security Component

It is a powerful system of Symfony. Web developers use this solution to enhance the security of web apps. There are various tools to authorize and authenticate, encode passwords, and many others.

What Are the Pros and Cons of Symfony vs. Laravel Development?

Pros of Laravel:

  • It provides regular updates
  • Integrating apps with popular email services using API
  • Highly compatible with third-party libraries and platforms
  • Additional tools with a large ecosystem

Cons of Laravel:

  • There are chances that some applications might be heavier and affect the loading speed
  • Some updates might not be compatible with the latest versions

Pros of Symfony:

  • It has support of a wide community
  • Support platforms like Drupal and Magento
  • Keeps the developers updated with the recent requirements

Cons of Symfony:

  • It has a difficult learning curve when compared to another PHP framework
  • There are a lack of origin elements
  • It needs to be prebuilt code, means more time consumption and a slower development process

Which Popular Apps Were Made Using Symfony and Laravel Development?

Symfony Development

  • Spotify is a highly customized platform to listen to songs and podcasts
  • BlaBlaCar uses Symfony as backend, which helps to access the database quickly
  • Course Hero is used for task management, emails, and enhance user performance
  • Trivago helps to compare and search hotels across devices 
  • Vogue is used to create a database in French and Dutch for the readers

Laravel Development

  • Laracasts is an e-learning website. It provides courses and serves solutions to online queries
  • Barchart is a financial portal. It helps to gain information related to the global market, currency exchange, gold price, and more
  • Asgard CMS is a modular multilingual CMS that provides ready-to-use modules.
  • World Walking is a charity-led healthcare platform. The main aim is to motivate people to walk more by offering them rewards
  • Neighborhood lenders use this platform as backend support. It acts as a mortgage calculator with great financial functionalities.

When Is Laravel Development the Best Choice?

  • Planning to build interactive website layout
  • Having an application that needs advanced components
  • Taking advantage of widgets in JS and CSS compatibility for web apps
  • Needing a scalable server-side framework and constant support
  • Building web applications faster with the help of object-oriented libraries

 When Is Symfony Development the Best Choice?

  • Developing large scale enterprise web apps
  • You want to have real-time data synchronization in the web apps
  • Planning to create a customizable marketplace for sellers and customers
  • Building single-page applications

Conclusion

Both Symfony and Laravel Developmentare great web app development platforms. The decision mainly depends on your business requirements and the features you’re looking for in web apps. If you plan to build complex web apps and do not have any time constraints, then Symfony is the convenient choice. If you want to develop a web app with minimal expenses and in a shorter period of time, go for Laravel Development.

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5 Important Things to Know about Offshore Web Hosting

posted on July 15, 2021

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Web hosting is an important part of running a successful website. If you’re looking for web hosting, it’s important to understand what is available and the benefits that come with each type. 

This article will discuss offshore hosting, which means hosting a website on a server that is located outside of your country. So if you’re considering opting for an offshore web host for your business site, here are five important things to know.

Offshore Web Hosts Value Data Privacy and Anonymity

If you want to run a website in the United States and you’re worried about your personal data being made public, offshore web hosting is the right option for you. The servers are located in other countries that have laws protecting information and restricting it from being shared with the government or any third party without consent. For instance, offshore web hosts from the Netherlands are praised for their strict data protection, as well as known to protect against identity theft. 

Certain offshore providers also accept more anonymous payment methods (such as Bitcoin), which help maintain the confidentiality of your personal information. 

They Have a Flexible Content Policy

Freedom of expression is still an issue in certain parts of the world. In some countries, content that is considered distasteful or offensive can be censored and taken down in an instant without warning. Offshore web hosts offer a more lax approach to this by only removing illegal material like child pornography and terrorist websites. This means you can host gambling and sites with adult content without fear of being shut down in an instant.

They also protect you from DMCA claims so you won’t have to worry about your site being taken down due to copyrighted content. This is crucial if you plan to start a video streaming website. In this case, you might want to check out some unlimited bandwidth VPS solutions as they will ensure great performance and security for your streaming site.

Offshore Web Hosts Provide Fast Load Times

It’s important to think about how your site will perform when it comes to loading times. Keep in mind that your site will load faster if it’s on a server that’s closer to your visitors. 

This is why offshore web hosts are such a good option. They have servers all over the world so your visitors will be closer to them, and this means faster load times for you. And let’s not forget that a fast site is crucial for good user experience and better conversion rates.

Offshore Providers Can Help Expand Your Business

One of the best benefits of using offshore web hosting is that it gives you access to potential customers in any country, so if your company already has an online presence but wants to reach new markets, this type of website hosting would enable your company to do so. They also offer great customer service which allows them to quickly deal with any problems so they don’t hinder your growth.

In case you need to scale your website, offshore hosts can make it happen in no time! You’ll be able to effortlessly upgrade your hosting from shared hosting to a VPS plan in case your web traffic starts growing. Just make sure to choose a web host that also lets you customize your virtual private server. 

Offshore Hosting Can Help You Save Money

Many offshore hosts provide low-cost solutions that can help you save on hosting fees, without sacrificing any of the features or functionality that is offered. Additionally, choosing a web host in a country with less strict tax policies can provide a significant advantage for your company, in terms of savings.

With offshore hosting, you can get secure and scalable solutions for your business website for an affordable price.

Conclusion

Choosing a web host is a very important decision for any company, and there are many factors that must be considered before making the final choice. Offshore web hosting can be a great choice for anyone looking for anonymity, security and freedom of expression for their site. 

There’s a lot more information in this area than most people realize, and these tips should serve as an eye-opener for anyone looking into getting their company online with a website that reaches all corners of the world!

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Damien Reed is the lead writer for Prospected and UncensoredHosting. He covers various topics including business, technology, and digital marketing. He has over five years of experience in writing for different online mediums, and his work has appeared on sites such as Freelancer, HackerNoon and CodeMentor.

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User Experience: What It Is and Why You Should Care

posted on July 2, 2021

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Ever wonder what user experience is and why it’s important? Also known as UX, user experience refers to every aspect of your interaction with a product, service, or company. At times, user experience is likened to customer service because it requires meeting customers’ needs as seamlessly as possible.

Just how important is user experience? Nowadays, a whopping 88% of online consumers won’t revisit a site after a bad experience. Web development experts know several elements contribute to the creation of a superb user experience. There’s user interface, responsive web design, and usability, for starters.

In essence, an exceptional user experience is all about making the end-user happy. To achieve this objective, a brand needs to have a clear and thorough understanding of the needs and priorities of consumers.

Why User Experience Matters

To fully appreciate the significance of user experience, let us examine some interesting statistics:

  • If site content is not optimized, a staggering 79% of visitors will leave the site and look for information elsewhere.
  • At least 88% of online visitors won’t revisit a site after a bad experience.
  • Superb UX design has been known to boost conversion by as much as 400%.
  • A well-designed user interface can increase the conversion rate of a site by as much as 200%.
  • Some studies also indicate that mobile users are five times more likely to leave a task unfinished if the website is not optimized.

Still not convinced? The experience of some of the world’s leading brands highlight the significant role user experience plays:

  • According to Adobe, at least 39% of visitors will leave a site right away if the loading time is slow or the images won’t load.
  • KoMarketing revealed that 51% of site visitors consider contact information as essential elements missing from most websites.
  • The revenue of ESPN jumped by 35% after they implemented some of the homepage redesign suggestions provided by their community.

Also, since Google wants to provide a great experience each time people use their search engine, it is believed that UX is considered one of the main factors that affect search engine rankings.

Why You Should Care

If you don’t make user experience a priority, you put critical aspects of your business on the line, including sales, brand reputation, and customer loyalty.

Sales

If the primary purpose of your website is to drive online sales, user experience should rank high in your list of priorities. It is important to remember that websites that load slowly have cost retailers $2.6 billion in lost sales yearly. 

At least 60 percent of consumers cite lack of information, a small screen, and slow connection as some reasons for not buying. Next, check the conversion rate of your site. Is it good enough for you? If not, poor user experience can be the likely culprit.

Brand Reputation

When a website is not visually pleasing, visitors and consumers might take it against your brand. Here’s something not many people know about: some studies pointed out that 94 percent of first impressions are related to design.

At least 60% of site visitors also stated they wouldn’t recommend a brand that has a poorly designed website. Undoubtedly, user experience has a massive impact on the overall experience.

Customer Loyalty

At least 52% of site visitors revealed that they no longer want to engage with a brand after a bad mobile experience. What is even more alarming is 79% of visitors who don’t like what they find on a specific site will search for information on other sites.

Understandably, no visitor would stay long on a site that does not contain the information they want. For those struggling to retain and entice new customers, improving the user experience should be one of your top priorities.

Effective Ways to Improve User Experience

There is no shortage of powerful ways you can improve user experience. Some of the most effective include:

Auditing your site’s flow

Examine the structure of your site. Also known as sitemap, check if the structure of your site can help visitors find what they are looking for quickly and effortlessly. If multiple steps are required, consider redesigning your site’s structure and flow.

You can use a user testing tool to understand the site paths that are considered straightforward and complex by your visitors. Aside from a good site structure, ensuring that headings are used properly can make a world of difference.

Asking your visitors how you can improve

Each time a visitor purchases from your site, send a follow-up email and ask them about their experience navigating and interacting with your site. Ensure you also ask straightforward questions and not vague ones.

Although pop-ups are vastly used for surveys of this type, chat boxes are considered ideal as they won’t intrude with any activities visitors do on the site.

Testing your site

User testing is one of the most effective ways to assess if your site provides an exceptional user experience. Nowadays, there are countless tools online that you can use. Some tools are designed to ask visitors questions about design, functionality, and web content.

Final Thoughts

The importance of user experience cannot be overemphasized. Without it, websites will be impossible to navigate and a pain to use. It is crucial to keep in mind that user experience can significantly contribute to the success of your brand. That said, make sure you provide nothing but the best experience on every visit.

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Sarah Munn is the Outreach Manager of Phoenix Web Design, a web design company based in Phoenix, Arizona that specializes in creating bespoke and responsive websites that will surely grab people’s attention. When not writing content, she spends time with her grandparents and giving back to the community.

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What are Core Web Vitals and Why You Should Care About this Ranking Signal

posted on June 30, 2021

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What are Core Web Vitals: Why This Ranking Signal Matters

Google is known to make changes and updates in their search ranking algorithm every so often, which are more often than not, unannounced. That being said, Google does occasionally release an announcement when changes are made to ranking factors. This works like a heads-up to webmasters, SEO consultants, and website development agencies, saying, “Hey! You might want to check this out and prepare your website.â€Â

What are Core Web Vitals?

Core Web Vitals now serve as one of the hundreds of search ranking factors. On November 11, 2020, Google announced that the launching of page experience ranking signalsâ€â€an integration of Core Web Vitals and preexisting UX-related signalsâ€â€was going to happen in May 2021. And here we are.

Basically, Core Web Vitals qualify the real-world metrics of a user’s experience of a website; is it mobile-friendly? Am I browsing securely? Does the page take too long to load? As a ranking factor, one can imagine how this has the potential to affect SEO, as it’s based on how a website performs. It scores a website according to specific metrics influencing page speed and user interaction:

  • Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
  • First Input Delay (FID)
  • Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)

A good way to look at this is to see how Google wants to perceive your website’s overall UX, which is what matters at the end of the day, providing users the exact results that they need in a helpful and useful way.

So, why are Core Web Vitals Important?

With the growing significance of page experience, here are some of the factors that Google deems impactful towards UX:

  • HTTPS
  • Mobile-friendliness
  • Lack of interstitial pop-ups
  • Malware-free

These factors do have a hand in a website’s page experience, so optimizing for these is going to be helpful, but Core Web Vitals is likely going to have more weight in achieving a healthy score. That said, how influential page experience can be in search rankings is still going to depend on the website’s overall performance. This essentially means that optimizing solely for page experience won’t get a website on the first page of a SERP if, for example, its content isn’t helpful to the user. 

Again, it helps remembering that Google has around 200 ranking factors to consider, and page experience is one of many. However, this doesn’t mean that page experience isn’t worth optimizingâ€â€in the case of multiple pages competing with the same content relevancy, page experience increases visibility in search. And here are other practical reasons to improve Core Web Vitals:

  • It allows a website to future-proof itself by staying competitive in search, as the qualities of page experience can only expand as an official part of Google’s search ranking algorithm.
  • It provides valuable online experiences to users, keeping them happy; and happy users translate to Google rewarding a website with better rankings.
  • It enables better conversion rates through a seamless experience for any target audience in the buyer’s journey.

As a digital marketer for a website development company worth their salt, it’s quite crucial to know how Core Web Vitals carry the potential to influence the performance of an SEO campaign. This also gives webmasters and SEO analysts an idea on how to optimize for it, should it affect a website’s ranking results. And for business owners, understanding the buyer’s motivation can help develop on-page experience through UX and UI.

Core Web Vitals: The Three Signals Being Measured

Now that we’re familiarized with Core Web Vitals, let’s talk about the three metrics that define its score: the LCP, FID, and CLS. How are these specifics being measured? How do we determine if there’s an issue and how can we resolve it? The discussion on these can get technical, so I’ll try to make it as straightforward as possible.

Address Loading Times with Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)

LCP, in its simplest terms, refers to how fast a web page loads. So, the factors that Google looks at here include: rendering times, the various types of media like videos and images, and all the text in the viewport. 

What are the factors that influence these? It can be the website’s server time, client-side rendering, CSS, or JavaScript. Imagine clicking on a link and seeing parts of the page appear in piecemeal over a span of several secondsâ€â€not enjoyable at all, right?

This is what distinguishes LCP from other metrics that determine page speedâ€â€it accurately paints the picture of a user’s experience as they open a page. Check for a web page’s LCP on Google PageSpeed Insights. PageSpeed Insights provides data on the different areas of a page that can be improved based on Chrome users.

Google Search Console provides similar data on LCP, but the advantage when using GSC is that it allows webmasters and SEO analysts to review the LCP data of an entire website, instead of having to check every page individually. Google’s LCP guidelines are hinged on a three-point grading system on a scale of: Good, Needs Improvement, and Poor. And to achieve a “Good†LCP score, a page should hit an LCP target of 2.5 seconds or less.

Upon reviewing the data, it’s just a natural reaction to think about removing some features and images, for example, to help address any LCP issues that go past 2.5 seconds. Here are a few more ways to optimize for LCP:

  • Go for better hosting to harness the strength of faster loading times
  • Filter out unnecessary third-party scripts
  • Lazy loading makes performance more efficient
  • Minification of CSS offers faster response times and less bandwidth

Build Towards Interactivity through First Input Delay (FID)

FID refers to the speed of a website’s responsiveness when a user interacts with an object on the page, say, a “Call Us Now†button. It is measured by how fast (or slow) it takes for user-engagement or interaction to take place within the page. 

Ordering food online, for instance, requires the buyer to tick checkboxes from a menu. This also involves moving across pages through the navigation and filling out text fields to complete an order. An online fast-food chain with excellent FID and UI makes it easier for people to order food online.

If a website is responsive, fast, and generally working fine, then all is well, but what about when it’s not? Typically, most consumers will leave a site not because they prefer another brand, but because of the smallest inconveniences and frustrations. 

Successfully placing a PO on an action figure online through a hassle-free order form page can make consumers choose one toy store over another. Be the store they choose, right?

And this is what Google chooses to prioritize with FIDâ€â€the way real consumers are engaging websites. 

Google’s FID guidelines measure FID through responsiveness and it accounts for the time it takes for a user to perform an action on the page. A “Good†FID score hovers 0.1 seconds or lessâ€â€and for a page that requires clicks from the user, having insightful data on FID opens up opportunities to improve. 

Here are a few ways to optimize a website’s FID score:

  • For CSS, going into the code and minifying files
  • For JavaScript, break long tasks into smaller and asynchronous tasks
  • Prioritize loading the most important third-party scripts and remove the unnecessary
  • Reduce the bandwidth necessary to render a page by minimizing client-side data
  • Use Idle until urgent as a code evaluation strategy

Sustain a Seamless Visual Structure with Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)

CLS is defined by the visual stability of a web page. In practice, CLS is an issue when the elements of a page shifts around while it’s loadingâ€â€which means it’s not stable in the eyes of a user. 

Take, for example, how as you browse a web page and hover your cursor above “Blog†in the navigation bar, an element loads, and you end up clicking “Shop†instead. As a user, this totally destroys your page experience of a website, and Google wants to address this through CLS.

Google’s CLS guidelines quantify a “Good†score for less than or equal to 0.1, which is determined by any layout shifting on the website’s pages. The less fragmented the experience is on a page, the better it is for the user. Here are some tips to optimizing CLS:

  • Set fixed dimensions for all forms of media like images, GIFs, and various video formats, including embedded widgets
  • Allocate space for ad elements and avoid placing ads above the viewport
  • Utilize UI elements below the fold
  • Preload optional fonts
  • Prioritize transform animations over elements that can shift the layout

A user’s experience of a website should be simple, straightforward, and seamless. In real-world practice, optimizing CLS by providing visual stability for users is especially important for e-commerce websites, where repeat customers can be key to growing a business.

Core Web Vitals and Why You Should Care About this Ranking Signal

Going over the three factors of Core Web Vitals emphasizes how on-page experience is pushing websites to make changes that ultimately benefit the user. And for online business owners, digital marketing companies, and webmastersâ€â€is this a bad thing or a good thing?

Of course, it’s a good thingâ€â€because this is what search has always served since the get-go. To provide users with the most relevant results available online for their every query. And there are hundreds of ranking factors to optimize for, as well. Wrapping this up, it might be too early to tell how impactful Core Web Vitals can be to search engine rankings, but it’s quite telling how Google is pointing us towards page experience.

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A web professional of 20 years, Bernard is the General Manager of Truelogic, a SEO Company based in the Philippines. He is a strong advocate of creating a culture of leadership. He has launched 4 companies, over 300 websites, and more than 11,000 marketing campaigns.

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Upcoming Google Core Web Vitals Update: 5 Things You Should Know

posted on June 15, 2021

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The digital world is buzzing with excitement (and apprehension) about Google’s May 2021 rollout of its latest algorithm update: the Google Core Web Vitals. Many site owners are feeling antsy because of the update’s potential impact on their business. 

Still, internet users will love the innovation because Google emphasizes more on the ultimate web user experience. Here are five things you should know about the Google Core Web Vitals Update.

1. All about Page Experience

Studies show that websites only have 50 milliseconds to get their visitor’s attention and ensure a good first impression. If they do not like what they see or feel that you have too much garbage on a website, they will hit the X button immediately.

Here are other fascinating page experience facts for you to ponder.

  • 85% of users want a mobile website to be as responsive as a desktop version
  • 88% of internet users will never return to a website after a bad experience
  • 39% of users cite extended page loads as the reason for logging out of a website
  • 47% of users want websites to load in no more than 2 seconds

Google’s Core Web Vitals update aims to encourage website owners and developers to focus their efforts on improving their page’s user experience. The algorithm prioritizes websites with exceptional page experience.

The update also helps internet users choose the search result that can give them the best possible experience. On the search results page, users will see an image preview or snippet that offers topical context, helping surfers get an idea of the information a website can provide.  

2. Three Additional Core Search Signals

The update still contains Google’s four core search signals, namely:

  • Mobile-friendliness
  • HTTPS security
  • Safe browsing
  • Intrusive interstitial guidelines

However, it also includes three additional core search signals to meet the update’s objectives. These metrics measure a website’s ability to provide users with a more interactive and engaging experience. It describes how easy it is for people to interact with the website.

Largest Contentful Paint 

Google says desktop and mobile websites should have a page load time of not longer than three seconds. Unfortunately, real-world experience tells us that the average mobile website loads in 22 seconds. Even top-ranked websites fall short of the 3-second rule, loading a full second behind.

The update ups the ante even further, requiring website owners to strive for a page loading time of at least 2.5 seconds for both desktops and mobiles.

First Input Delay

Google also wants websites to have lightning-quick interactive response times. When a user clicks on an interactive website element, such as email signup or a contact form, it should pop up within 100 milliseconds. 

Cumulative Layout Shift

Another crucial metric from the new update is website stability. It requires consistency of the page elements, especially the website’s layout. When users scroll or navigate the page or click on a link, the web design should not appear jumpy.

Google still accepts layout instability, as long as it does not exceed 0.1.  

3. Ways to Measure Google’s Core Web Vitals

It is easy to understand why some website owners are apprehensive about the Core Web Vitals update. Not to worry because Google also provides at least six ways for website owners to measure the three new metrics.

  • Search Console– This tool lets website owners analyze and evaluate their pages throughout the site, identifying page groups requiring attention.
  • Lighthouse– Web developers and owners can use this tool to improve page quality. It provides automated audits for various page parameters, including SEO, accessibility, performance, progressive web apps, and more.
  • Web Vitals Extension– This Chrome extension is specific for measuring Google’s Core Web Vitals. Its three core features include Ambient Badge, HUD Overlay, and Detailed popup drill-down.
  • PageSpeed Insights – Google developed this tool to evaluate website page performance on desktop and mobile devices. It also provides suggestions on how website owners can improve their webpages.
  • Chrome UX Report– The CrUX offers a clear picture of real user experiences, mainly qualitative dimensions. Its principal advantage is its use of real-world field data, allowing website owners to understand how real-life internet users interact with websites.
  • Chrome DevTools– Google updated its Chrome DevTools to help website owners assess, determine, and address visual instability issues. It helps websites gain a favorable Cumulative Layout Shift score. It also measures a website’s Total Blocking Time, a metric essential for improving the First Input Delay metric.

4. Field Data vs. Lab Data

The tools for measuring the core search signals use two different types of user data: field data and lab data. Field data offers information on real user experiences, while lab data uses a complex algorithm to simulate user experiences.

While lab data only provides estimates of user experiences, it is still valuable in helping website owners debug performance issues.  It uses collected data in a highly controlled environment. 

On the other hand, field data captures real-world, true user experiences. The only downside is that the metrics are a bit limited. It classifies user experiences as good, poor, or needs improvement, based on First Contentful Paint, Largest Contentful Paint, Cumulative Layout Shift, and First Input Delay.

5. Improving Page Experience Score

The Google Core Web Vitals may look intimidating. However, the core search signals already offer hints at how website owners can improve their page experience score.

For example, obtaining a high Largest Contentful Paint score may require optimizing the loading and server response times for CSS, images, and fonts. If one wants to improve the First Input Delay score, one must evaluate server performance, JavaScript runtime, or any third-party code.

Improving a webpage’s Cumulative Layout Shift score may require assessment and evaluation of preloaded elements and video and image sizes. Reserving space specifically for advertising can also increase the overall CLS score.

Conclusion

Google’s Core Web Vitals Update may sow confusion in some quarters. However, internet users will love how the latest algorithm will work for their benefit. 

Learning the CWV’s essentials will equip site owners and content creators with the correct mindset to make their websites more relevant and more engaging to their target audience. 

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Charles is the Managing Editor & SEO Specialist for Cuppabean.com. He has been doing SEO work for more than 6 years already, handling websites that target Local and National clients.

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How to Allow Multiple Users with Remote Desktop in Windows 7?

posted on May 8, 2021

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Microsoft offers the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) in Windows Server to allow remote desktop connections for multiple users, and while most versions of Windows include a RDP client, only the Professional, Ultimate and Server editions of Microsoft Windows offer the RDP server to accept incoming connections.

Unlike the server editions of Windows, Microsoft limits the client editions of Windows to one concurrent user, whether remote or local, preventing multiple remote desktop connections. So if a remote desktop connection is made, no one physically at the PC can use it or even see the desktop without first kicking off the remote user.
Remote Desktop for Multiple Users on Windows 7 Solution

Fortunately, there is a workaround that will enable multiple RDP sessions on a Windows 7 operating system that only requires a few simple steps. Developer Deepxw created a handy unofficial modification called the Universal Termsrv.dll Patch that will override this setting to allow multiple remote desktop sessions on Windows 7 computers (this solution will also work for earlier versions of Windows). Users will even be able to use the same applications simultaneously.

Note: Before starting this process, it is important to note that using this workaround is a violation of the Microsoft License Agreement.
Applying the multiple RDP users patch

After downloading the file, start by creating a backup of termsrv.dll before you apply this patch. The program will automatically create a backup file but there’s no harm in creating another one for some added security and peace of mind.

You will find the file in the C:WindowsSystem32 directory. To undo the Registry changes it makes, you can save the .reg file that’s included with the download and manually edit the Registry to remove the changes shown in the .reg file.

After creating a manual backup, follow these steps:

  • After downloading the Universal Termsrv.dll Patch and creating a backup (file download link updated 8/20/2020 with correct download) extract the ZIP file. Deepxw lists 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64) OS support for the patch on Windows XP SP2 SP3, Windows Vista SP1 SP2, and Windows 7 operating systems. You can find more information on this patch on Deepxw’s blog.
  • Find the patch program you should run based upon your processor. For 32-bit (x86) it’s UniversalTermsrvPatch-x86.exe, and for 64-bit (amd64) it’s UniversalTermsrvPatch-x64.exe.

For Windows 7 and Windows Vista, you will want to save the vista.reg. For users still operating Windows XP, you’ll want to save the xp.reg file.

Right-click on the patch program and select to Run as administrator.

On the program, click the Patch button and it will replace the Termsrv.dll file and perform the Registry modification. It will also save a backup so you can later undo the modification if desired.

Next, restart your computer for the modification to take effect

Now you just need to enable incoming remote desktop connections. Here’s how to do so with Windows 7 or Vista:

  •     Right-click on Computer from the Start Menu and select properties.
  •     Click Remote settings on the left.
  •     Under Remote Desktop, select one of the three options.

Administrators on the computer will automatically be added to the list of remote users but if you need to add standard users, click Select Users.

Now you should be able to connect multiple user remote sessions to your pc with ease.
Securing Connections for Multiple Remote Desktop Sessions in Windows

Windows should automatically configure Windows Firewall to allow the RDP traffic to pass through. However, if you’re using a third-party firewall on your PC, you may be required to manually configure the firewall to allow the traffic.

It’s also vital to note that when remotely connecting over the internet, you must configure your router to forward incoming RDP connections to the desired PC. And unless you perform other RDP settings modifications to change the RDP ports in the Windows Registry, you will be limited to configuring one PC on the network for incoming connections via the internet.
What are Windows Remote Desktop Sessions?

For those unfamiliar with Remote Desktop sessions, using a standard RDP available on Windows 7 gives a single remote user unrestricted control over the mouse and keyboard, as well as all the programs and resources on the physical, or “host”, computer. It will appear and feel as if you were sitting right at your work PC.

So what happens when you need to access the host computer even though the machine is currently being operated by someone else either physically in the office or by another user logging in remotely?
The issue with multiple RDP Sessions on Windows 7

If a user attempts to log in remotely to a Windows 7 machine that is currently in use, the person physically using the machine or one that is logged in remotely will be kicked out of their session. The PC will bring up a message saying, “Logged on remotely from ‘computer name,’” followed by the prompt:

“Your Remote Desktop Session has ended. Another user connected to the remote computer, so your connection was lost. Try connecting again, or contact your network administrator or technical support group.”

The solution is Multiple Remote Desktop sessions, also known as concurrent sessions. This functionality offers the advantage of allowing multiple users to log in to the same computer without disturbing others who are already logged in and operating the machine.

Best Virtual Machine Backup Tools & Software

posted on May 8, 2021

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If you ask any system administrator to name the top three pain points of their job, backups will almost surely make the list, which makes finding the best virtual machine backup software for your business such an important task. Backups are the bane of any IT professional’s existence. The problem is backups are notoriously unreliable. Couple that lack of reliability with poor backup quality and you’ve created a service that often disappoints and frustrates even the most optimistic system administrator. Now, add the frustration of virtual machine backup and restore to the mix, and you have a recipe for disaster.

Unreliable backups lead SAs to construct their own “renegade” solutions that aren’t part of any corporate support strategy; nor are they sanctioned by corporate authority. But this is often the scenario when confronted with the burden of responsibility and the need for service reliability. This list of the best virtual machine backup software solutions on the market will help frustrated sys admins take the sting out of VM backup and restore.
How to Choose Virtual Machine Backup Software

Before diving into your options, let’s first determine how to choose virtual machine backup software. Small to medium-sized businesses that don’t need the capabilities offered by more robust VM backup tools might be able to get away with an option that offers a free plan. However, large businesses that need to manage complex VM configurations should elect for enterprise or professional versions of backup software.

If you do need a virtual machine backup and restore strategy that can accomplish a variety of related tasks, there are two routes you can take. Some of these solutions require additional tools to cover all the bases, meaning paying for more products and managing more tools. The alternative is to leverage a single, all-encompassing VM backup software product that’s ready out-of-the-box.

Maybe you’re looking for a long-term solution that can keep up with new technologies. In this case, you would probably be interested in a backup tool that offers integration with cloud services.

Best Virtual Machine Backup Software

Regardless of your unique needs, one of these options could be the best virtual machine backup software to take your data protection and recovery to the next level.

Veeam Backup and Replication

Veeam Backup and Replication (VBR) takes full advantage of VMware’s APIs for enterprise scalability, advanced replication, multiple operating system file-level restoration and advanced recovery. VBR is less expensive than comparable enterprise backup, restore and recovery solutions because it requires no additional software, agents or utilities. Veeam’s solution also includes such extreme features as guest file system indexing, multiple backup modes, one-click file restore, recovery verification and multiple hypervisors.

Users have access to unlimited storage through Veeam’s Scale-Out Backup Repository and Veeam Cloud Tier. You can also test and automate backup strategies to ensure mission-critical applications remain protected. VBR can provide backup for virtual, physical, and cloud-based systems; it specializes in support for VMware vSphere but can also support Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Veritas NetBackup

The Veritas NetBackup tool, known as Symantec NetBackup until 2016, is perfect for those companies looking for an all-in-one solution that can manage both their hosted machines and virtual machines from the same place. One of the major problems facing system administrators is the thinking that virtualized environments are somehow different from their physical counterparts. In some ways, they are different. But in many ways, they’re the same.

If you take the attitude that “a server is a server regardless of abstraction or underlying hardware,” then you also can hold that all your systems should be treated the same for backup and restore – through traditional agent-based backups. Having a consistent backup environment provides some homogeneity to your heterogeneous environment. Using a single backup solution fulfills this need for consistency. Symantec NetBackup is one such solution. With NetBackup, your virtual systems can leverage standard corporate backup and restore strategies as do your physical systems.

NetBackup offers integrated deduplication, fast file recovery, backup and recovery for major applications and easy installation. NetBackup supports VMware vSphere, Microsoft Azure Hyper-V, IBM SoftLayer, OpenStack Swift and SwiftStack.

IBM Spectrum Protect

Previously known as Tivoli Storage Manager, IBM Spectrum Protect is the 800-pound Gorilla of agentless, enterprise backup and restore solutions.Spectrum Protect offers the kind of mission-critical data and application protection from the people who defined the terms mission-critical, enterprise and data: IBM. Some of the largest and most powerful companies in the world use Spectrum Protect for 100-percent data protection assurance.

Some notable features are progressive incremental backups, policy-based management, advanced archive management, source and target deduplication, compression for reduced storage, continuous data protection and built-in cloud integration. Part of what makes this VM backup tool so valuable for enterprise is its scalability, offering the ability to manage billions of objects per backup.

IBM Spectrum Protect was built as a comprehensive data protection and recovery platform that’s easy to deploy and maintain thanks to its agentless architecture. Companies also have a wide variety of cloud and on-premises storage options to choose from.

Altaro VM Backup

Altaro VM Backup prides itself as a hassle-free VM backup and replication tool that is intuitive and easy to set up. It can be installed in less than 15 minutes without requiring complex configuration so your IT team can reserve resources and begin backing up and restoring tasks immediately. System admins can manage VMs and quickly perform backups from a single console, regardless of their location (hosted locally or in the cloud).

Previously, Altaro focused its backup and restoration product on Hyper-V but it now supports VMware Hypervisor as well. With its simple integration with cloud storage services like Microsoft Azure, Amazon S3 and Wasabi, retrieving data is quick and easy. The Augmented Inline Deduplication process can quickly perform backups while reducing storage needs and backup times.

Backups can be scheduled to run automatically on a daily basis, every five minutes, or even continually to ensure all recoveries are up-to-date. It also monitors backup health; when corruption is detected, Altaro VM Backup can repair those blocks when they’re next backed up.

Nakivo Backup and Replication

Nakivo Back and Replication is a fast and reliable enterprise VMware backup solution. It can be deployed on both physical machines or inside VMs. IT teams can automate VM protection, test backups instantly, orchestrate and automate site recovery, and quickly recover entire VMs, files and objects from deduplicated backups. With the ability to automate and orchestrate disaster recovery (DR), you can avoid the need to purchase an expensive standalone DR product.

In June of 2020, Nakivo released the beta for v10 of their backup product. This new version adds support for vSphere 7, VMware’s server virtualization platform. It also adds Full P2V Recovery that creates virtual copies of physical machines. It can integrate with the affordable and flexible cloud storage platform Wasabi, so you can send backups and copies of machines, Oracle databases and Amazon EC2 instances. The new Linux Workstation Backup can quickly recover workstations or restore files and objects from backups.

VMware vSphere Data Protection End of Availability (EOA)

Given the popularity of VMware, we thought it important to include a section with updates on their VMware vSphere Data Protection (VDP). Hopefully, you’ve heard by now that VMware has announced the End of Availability (EOA) of their native backup and restoration product, VDP. All versions following 6.5 will no longer support VDP. However, for those still using vSphere 6.5, you’re in luck as you can still use VDP until the EOA date which was extended to November 15, 2021.

VMware has decided to step out of the data protection market and will focus on vSphere Storage APIs supporting a third-party ecosystem. With storage APIs, third-party hardware, software, and storage providers can develop snapshot-based backup tools that are based on this framework. So in order to implement backup and restore tools into your vSphere going forward, you will need to migrate to a third-party backup suite.

VMware states this decision is the result of, “feedback that customers are looking to consolidate their backup and recovery solutions in support of their overall software-defined data center (SDDC) efforts.” The vSphere Storage APIS – Data protection package is available as part of the SDDC Integration Program, which guides ecosystem partners through the development and certification of storage APIs.

VMware supports a vast ecosystem of third-party backup solutions that integrate with vSPhere, so you should have no problem finding a powerful backup and restore solution for your system.

With these insights, choosing the best virtual machine backup software solution for your business should be a breeze.

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