Category: Strategies

Business credit cards provide financial support to businesses in almost all industries. These credit cards work pretty much like personal cards except for a few differences. 

The cards give you a line of credit that increases your purchasing power, making it easier for you to meet your company’s financial needs. The cards can be used at different points of sale, but they do have a credit limit, just like with personal credit cards.

Like other credit cards in the market, business credit card bills must be cleared on time and in full. Failure to do so attracts interest charges, late fees, and other penalties. 

On a brighter note, proper use of a business credit card will improve your company’s credit rating and attract several perks and rewards. The perks vary from one issuer to the next, so you may want to shop around and find the card that gives your business the best value.

What’s the Difference Between Business and Personal Credit Cards?

The most obvious difference between a business credit card and a consumer card is a simple fact that business cards are meant to support a company’s financial obligations and not personal needs.

The truth is that the issuer may have a hard time determining whether a particular charge was for your business or consumer expenses. However, if you use a credit card for businesses to meet personal needs, your consumer protection reduces significantly. Not to mention the damage it could have on your company’s books. Therefore, it’s in your best interest to avoid using these cards for personal expenses.

Business and personal credit cards also have different reporting policies, and consumer credit card activities are reported to TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax every month. Meanwhile, some business credit card issuers report the credit card performance to commercial credit bureaus only, while others report to both commercial and consumer credit bureaus. 

Small business credit cards have higher credit limits than personal cards. That’s one of several reasons why companies benefit hugely from business credit cards.

What Are the Benefits of Business Credit Cards?

They Are Convenient

Using small business credit cards is fast and easier compared to cash and checkbooks. 

They Enhance Cash Flow

Business credit cards boost the flow of cash in your company. You’ll have a financial cushion even when sales are low, or your account receivables are behind. 

They also keep your business operational by providing funds for inventory and emergency expenses. 

They Offer Incentives

Business credit cards attract incentives like signup bonuses, cashback, miles, shopping discounts, and points. 

Before shopping for a business credit card, you may want to look at your books and see where most of your expenses go. Use this insight to get a credit card whose rewards are in line with your company’s needs. For instance, if a significant chunk of your capital goes towards traveling, a credit card with miles incentives may be a better choice than one offering shopping discounts.

They Are Easy to Qualify For

Getting a secured small business credit card can be easier than traditional bank loans. This is especially true if your business doesn’t have an established credit history. 

They Simplify Bookkeeping

These credit cards streamline business expenses in several ways. First, tracking employees’ expenditure is so much easier when everything is done from the credit card and not their consumer cards. Some issuers even give you the option of setting employee credit card spending limits.  

If you are issuing the business card to an employee, make sure they’re well aware of the necessary measures to take to prevent business credit card fraud, everyone should be careful with that.

Issuers also provide monthly statements, quarterly/annual summaries, and additional record-keeping tools. This makes it easier to track your company’s spending pattern and simplifies auditing and payment of taxes. 

They Improve Your Company Credit Rating

Small-business credit cards can build your company’s credit, improving your eligibility for lines of credit, bank loans, and other corporate credit cards that have higher limits and lower charges and interest rates. This can be achieved by using the card within the set limit and clearing the balances on time.

Drawbacks of Business Credit Cards

They Are Expensive

Business credit cards have higher interest rates than most bank loans and fixed lines of credit. Penalties like late fees are also steep.

Interest Rates Fluctuate

Issuers can adjust the interest based on several factors like how you’re using your account.

They Come With Less Protection

The protection on small business credit cards is nowhere as comprehensive as with consumer cards. Go through the fine print and check the level of protection offered before applying for the card.

They May Require Personal Legal Liability

Some small business credit cards will require your personal security, meaning the card’s activities can negatively affect your personal credit rating.

You will find small business cards very useful if your business needs steady cash flow, streamlined expenses, and more purchasing power. They do come with a few drawbacks but, in most cases, the benefits outweigh the cons.

Many bloggers simply use images, text, logos, and other content without giving intellectual property rights a thought. However, copyright infringement is a serious business. Not only can bloggers find that content infringing on copyright is removed; they could potentially face seeing their blogs taken down and even having to pay hefty legal fees for infringing someone else’s creation. So, make sure you avoid copyright infringement by following these five methods.

Get Advice from a Professional

While the following ways of avoiding copyright infringement will inform you on the basics of intellectual property, if you want to make certain that no aspect of your blog is infringing on copyright, it is a good idea to get advice from a law firm like Heer Law, which specializes in intellectual property law. While hobbyists may not want to pursue this course of action, if you are serious about growing your blog and online presence and want to monetize your blog, it is a good idea to get professional advice concerning all elements of intellectual property infringement.

Pay Attention to Brand Names and Logos

You need to ensure you do not upload any other organization’s logo or trademarks, like Coca-Cola or Nike. Branded logos will be protected by both copyright and a registered trademark, so by reproducing logos on your blog, you could potentially be infringing on the copyright. However, by simply using brand-name words like “Coca-Cola” and “Nike,” it is highly unlikely it will amount to copyright infringement. But you do need to make sure you do not use brand names in a way that it looks as though they are supporting your blog or connected to it.

Be Cautious of Public Domain Content

Many bloggers believe that content in the public domain is able to be used freely without any repercussions, but not everything in the public domain is copyright-free. So, you always need to check the copyright status for any content you are considering posting on your blog. The majority of images and other creative works are protected by copyright until seventy years after the author’s death. So, it would be fine to post an image of Da Vinci’s Last Supper but not a picture of Sonic the Hedgehog. However, there are exceptions that allow you to use some protected material, such as the fair use rules in the United States.

Know What Is Meant by Non-commercial Use

With so many stock image sites providing thousands of free images, it can be easy to assume you can use them without infringing on the copyright. But that is not necessarily the case. For example, images should always state their commercial and non-commercial rights, and whether you need to cite authorship when you use images. Make sure you pay attention to the commercial rights aspect in particular. If you put a non-commercial rights image on your blog, it means you can only use that image when you are not promoting anything commercially. So, if you use promotions, ads, and other things to monetize your blog, you will not be allowed to use an image that has non-commercial rights.

Understand Creative Commons Licenses

Non-commercial rights also apply to Creative Commons licenses. In recent years, Creative Commons licenses have become a great way for members of the public to reuse content. But you can still only reuse it in certain ways, which many bloggers are unaware of. With a CC license, you can only use the content in the way specifically specified for that content. Some CC licenses allow you to reuse the content in an unmodified form, while some can only be used with attribution, and others can only be reused for non-commercial purposes.

Are you tired of broken conference calls, slow streaming, and even slower downloading? Does your business need a perfect internet connection 24/7? Don’t worry, there is a solution. A leased line might be the best choice for you. Many companies are using it nowadays and claim it has helped them grow their business and improve productivity.

If you are interested in this topic, please continue reading. Here we will explain what a leased line is, how it works, and how can it benefit your company. Let’s begin!

What Are Leased Lines?

A leased-line is a fixed-bandwidth, dedicated data connection that provides high quality and a reliable internet connection to your business. It guarantees certain download and upload speed, as well as resilience and uptime. What basically happens is that an Internet Service Provider rents the internet connection to a company and it’s often much better than what standard providers can offer.

Companies usually prefer leased lines because they delivered stable internet, high speed, and symmetrical download and upload speeds. Nowadays many companies use cloud-based phone systems and having a leased line is the best choice for them. If you have a big business and multiple people need to use the Internet, don’t worry. This will have no impact on the performance since your leased line is reserved for your company only.

Leased lines often have these specific characteristics:

• They are symmetrical (it means that the upload and the download speed must be the same)
• They are uncontended (meaning they aren’t shared with any other user)
• “Point to point” (leased lines connect two points, for example, your business location with the ISP)

Standard internet connection may have worked for you in the past, but nowadays it can get a bit problematic. You see, when every user in your area is using the connection at the same time, especially if many people are downloading something, it can really slow down your internet speed. With standard internet, bandwidth is shared amongst many people in the area.

On the other hand, if you want a bandwidth that is only yours and only you can have access to it – choose a dedicated leased line. Your internet connection will be perfect throughout the whole day and you won’t have to worry about a slow connection ever again.

This is especially important for business owners. Slow internet connections can cause many problems, from interrupting conference calls to sending large files.

How Do Leased Lines Work?

A leased line sends pulses of light down your optic cable. This means that the data is traveling at the speed of light, which is astonishing. It is actually physically impossible for it to go any faster. The speed can even go up to 10Gbps (gigabits per second), although it can be tailored to your exact needs. When you are choosing a leased line, consider your budget requirements and your capacities. Leased lines can be an expensive solution but it gives amazing results. Your business will be much more productive and it’s worth it. 

Just to compare it – the maximum speed of most fiber optic connections is around 75Mbps, which isn’t bad for domestic use. Still, your business needs better connection and speed. You don’t want anything to slow your connection down when there are many users at the same time. The leased line is dedicated to you and your business and you should enjoy all the amazing advantages it provides.

What Are the Different Leased Line Options?

Usually, a leased line belongs in one of the following categories:

• Full Fibre (also known as “Ethernet Access Direct” and “Fibre Ethernet”)

It is direct, very fast, and delivers a speed of around 1Gbps. Experts are currently testing 10Gbps, which would be astonishing. It is the most expensive one but it’s also the most reliable and fastest. 

• EFM (Ethernet in the first mile, also known as “Ethernet Broadband”)

This leased line uses the traditional copper network to deliver a connection to your business but it uses a full-fiber connection from the exchange. Therefore, it’s perfect for a business that doesn’t have a local fiber cabinet. It always uses two sets of copper to ensure the best service. For example, if one fails – the other will take over. 

EFM is much slower than fiber but it’s also cheaper. If you are looking for a mid-price option, this is ideal for you. The service is still fully symmetrical and it also provides SLAs and resilience guarantees.

• Ethernet over FTTC

This one is also called EoFTTC and it’s the best for companies without any access to local fiber-based cabinets. It’s even cheaper than EFM but very similar. The only drop-off in speed is because of the distance between the local cabinet and your business.

EoFTTC uses a mixture of fiber and copper and offers a completely symmetric connection. Still, it’s capable of increasing the download and upload speed according to your needs.

Do You Need a Leased Line?

Having super fast access to the internet is a dream come true in this digital era. Many business owners are very attracted to leased lines mainly for their speed. However, there are many other benefits you should consider:

• SLAs that come with leased lines are great because you will know that any problem can be fixed in a few hours. This will reduce your usual stress levels and you will feel more confident and relaxed. 
• Symmetrical connections have many benefits, which we have already discussed.
• VoIP for communication and business telephony will be much more reliable.
• A Leased line will make your day-to-day operations easier, especially if your company has a high reliance on data. 

If you run a business that is internet critical, a leased line may be just the thing you are looking for. It’s especially useful if you often need to contact geographically distant offices and you are required to upload and send large files constantly. Your employees will be able to connect their work computers from various locations with ease, simultaneous work in the cloud won’t be a problem, and you will forget about interrupted conference calls forever.

Online casinos are profitable businesses because of something known as the house edge. The house edge is a term given to the odds placed slightly in favour of the casino. For example, there are 37 or 38 possible individual outcomes on a standard roulette board, but players receive odds of 36/1 on these types of bets. The operator always wins in the long run across all players, but these types of certainties have resulted in more online brands that must fight it out by promoting better than the competition.

Does Promoting an Online Casino Matter?

Promoting products and services can be a worthwhile investment for any company across any industry. But some industries demand marketing and constant promoting due to the saturated market and volume of competitors. Online gambling is one of those markets. With so many online operators to choose from, it can be challenging to stand out. Promoting your casino in different ways will help you cut through the noise and be seen.

Promoting an online service can be a little more challenging than any other businesses due to UK gambling marketing legislation, which is constantly being updated and debated. In gambling – compliance is just as essential!

Ways to Promote an Online Casino

1. Keyword Research

Keyword research is conducted by an SEO professional. The process involves uncovering what types of words and phrases are being searched online to find online casinos in your country. They can use the research to inform the content of your website. For example, if you find that lots of people are looking for a betting site that allows PayPal deposits, maybe by searching “PayPal Casino” then you should include a page about how you are a PayPal Casinos (if true!).

In a nutshell, keyword research is a way to refine your online content and get it seen by more people. Casting your net wider increases your chances of generating interest and new sign-ups.

2. Affiliate Marketing

Another effective way to promote a casino is through affiliate marketing. It works by getting other businesses and influencers to promote your site, typically with a welcome bonus. By getting other people to market your products and services, you can increase site visitors and sign-ups at a lower cost. You’ll only pay a fee or commission when someone actually signs up to your service, meaning you only pay for new members rather than clicks and views that don’t get converted.

You might want to consider an affiliate marketing programme that anyone can sign up to, especially if you only pay commissions for sign-ups rather than just site visitors.

3. Creating Valuable Content

Keywords and affiliate marketing shouldn’t be the only things bringing curious gamers to your casino. You can bring them here yourself by publishing valuable content that covers contemporary news stories in the world of gambling, offers game reviews and much more. Within these blogs, you can soft or hard sell your own gambling service and its games. But providing valuable content that answers the common gambling questions online (yes, that means using keyword research again) will get eyeballs on your site.

It doesn’t have to just be written content either. Consider using video content and making your own YouTube channel!

4. Welcome Bonuses and Promotions

The most used method of promoting a betting website and specific games within it is welcome bonuses and promotions, such as free bets, free spins on slots and more. Suppose you are going to go down this route, which you probably will then try to think of some promotions outside the box. If every brand is promoting itself with the same free bet, come up with a new and innovative welcome offer. Remember, promoting your casino is about setting it apart from the rest.

Many operators offer initial promotions but forget about their loyal members. Try to provide more to ongoing casino players as one way to get noticed.

The methods of doing business have altered significantly over the recent years. The major influencer has been technology – especially digital technology. The major processes for any business whether it be the procurement of raw material for a manufacturing unit, production process, or addressing the customer complaints, digital technology has a role to play everywhere. Both businesses and consumers have made a move to online platforms to buy and sell. This has mandated the need for websites for most businesses. 

Why Do You Need A Website

A website is a great way to keep your business going even when you are not working. When you have a website, anybody may check about your business and the products and services you offer. Modern-day websites have made it very convenient for business owners to interact with customers online. What is more, with the help of your own business website, you can generate more customers and profits consequently. However, for that to happen, you need to make your website rank well over search engines.

How To Get Your Website Ranking Well

Well, there are various methods that you can follow to make your website be among the top results that search engines such as Google, Bing, and Duck Duck Go spit out. We have collated a list of steps that you can follow to make your website rank well and generate more leads:

Apply SEO In Content You Put Online

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of the most effective methods to attract more viewers to your website. It is also with the help of SEO that you can rank among the top ones on search engines. When you use relevant keywords in your website in the right manner, the search engines tend to show you before other organizations of a similar kind in the results. 

This happens because of how search engines do keyword mathematics. According to what Sydney SEO Service Specialists suggest, a well SEO-optimized website always stays at the top. A website that doesn’t make use of SEO is majorly futile. 

Post Blogs Regularly

You might be wondering how blogs would make your website rank well. Well, the answer to this question is that your blogs will provide a way for you to keep updating and using keywords that are helpful for your website to rank well online. For example, if your business is to make ice creams, you should post blogs that use ice cream-related keywords. This way, every time any searcher makes a query using those keywords, you will show up on the top. In addition to helping you rank well, blogs will also help you engage with your customers and potential customers better. 

Link And Ask To Be Linked

Your website must have a lot of paragraphs and content, right? You can make use of them to get more online visibility. All you need to do is give relevant links on your website and request others to link to your website too. Not only will this enhance the quality of your content, but this will also allow you to generate more leads. Remember this rule: The more others link to your website, the more people would come to it. It is as simple as that.

Getting your website among the top results is not very difficult if you know what your business exactly does and how you plan to take advantage of the relevant keyword. Be sure to follow the methods given above, it will surely be of help. By the way, what are you going to do first in order to take your website to the pinnacle?

WordPress has gone from a relatively obscure content management system (CMS) platform to one of the most popular ones in the past decade. WordPress (WP) has powered more than 30% of the internet since 2018 and is forecasted to hit 40% by the end of 2021. This phenomenal growth is due to the innovative features of WordPress that attract more new users. If you are using WP to operate your website, you will be facing stiff competition as more and more sites in the same category or industry as yours will emerge.

To keep your edge against the competition, you should utilize WordPress to the fullest and know some useful hacks, and we will share some of them here.

Perform Regular Updates

Updating your site regularly may seem like an added burden to your website management tasks. However, updating your website is one of the essential WordPress maintenance tasks you need to perform to ensure the continued functionality and safety of your site. WordPress updates help you safeguard your website from vulnerabilities of running on outdated software. At least 50% of hacked WordPress sites in 2016 ran on outdated software. WP has impressive security features, but vulnerabilities can occasionally surface. However, these vulnerabilities are easily fixed if you update your website regularly.

It’s not just the website that needs regular updating, but you also need to update your themes and plugins. Again, outdated plugins have a higher risk of vulnerability to hacking compared to regularly updated and maintained websites. Updating isn’t that hard. You only need to keep an eye out on your Updates tab and look for notifications or reminders to update. Simply clicking on the Update tab and Update button can keep your website running securely until the subsequent updates are released.

Take Advantage of the Excerpt Feature

Not many website owners realize the benefits of using the excerpt (summary) feature on their homepage and archives. Excerpts increase the interest and intent of site visitors and customers in examining your content further. Excerpts are also like teasers of the full content you are sharing with the viewers. When you make your excerpt or teaser interesting and engaging, you are increasing the engagement time of visitors to your website, which can positively affect your website ranking.

Declutter Your Website

While this hack comes as fundamental knowledge for website owners, it often gets forgotten or taken aside along the way. Many website owners take website organization and cleanliness for granted and pay dearly with slow webpage loads and low responsiveness. One simple hack is to reduce image size by compressing pictures can help speed up your site by making it load faster. 

You are also saving precious storage space, which you can utilize for other important content. Displaying images in a grid layout gives your website an organized and compact look, which is pleasing to many site visitors. It is an excellent way of improving the user experience as users are often not patient enough to scroll down or sideways for too long. 

Using caching plugins is another easy and excellent way of speeding up your website. Caching creates static copies of your page, post, or content and serves these copies to your visitors. Static pages are easier to fetch and help avoid back and forth queries from being sent to your database, thereby reducing the server load and improving your website’s performance.

We have only some of the most useful hacks you can apply to your WordPress website. The online community is growing. The competition among websites is stiffer, so you need to be on top of things about your website. WP has an incredible array of features that you can discover and use to your advantage. Don’t stop with posting content and occasional maintenance. Take time to explore and be aware of the notifications and updates that are needed. It is often the basic things that make the most impact on your website.