The average business in 2019 will find almost all their customers online. It will be near paperless and will leverage the Internet to cut costs and increase sales. If you feel like your business is far behind your peers when it comes to the use of online services, find out which cool services you are missing below.
Web Hosting
Building a website is easy and cost-effective. Finding a good web hosting service provider to keep your site 100% online can be challenging. Working with poor hosting services can keep your website off the Internet regularly.
Surprisingly, the best web hosting service providers aren’t expensive. Knowing which company is best for your business is the challenge. The most famous companies in the industry are Bluehost, HostGator, GoDaddy and just hot. The first two providers rank higher above the others but they are all respected providers.
In addition to low costs and a 100% uptime rate, it’s important to work with a secure web-hosting company. Your web hosting service provider stores all the files found on your website. Without proper security, anyone can compromise your website, steal files or render it inaccessible.
Keep in mind there is a difference between web hosting and domain name services. Your website’s domain name is its address. It is the name your customers type on a browser to come to your website. The domain name is usually linked to your hosting service to ensure customers are directed to your website when they use your company’s domain name address.
Antivirus Services
Whether you have one company in the office or 100, you need a good antivirus program running on your PC. Malicious Internet users regularly target unprotected computers to invade them with malware. Their goal is to corrupt your files and steal important data. Some attackers do it for the money by holding your computers hostage.
All the files you store on Google documents, Dropbox, your passwords, your search histories, and records are not very secure on the Internet. The least you can do to secure all these documents is to invest in antivirus solutions.
With a good Internet solution provider, your business stays one step ahead of malicious computer attackers. Antimalware programs can penetrate your office computers and damage them. Your business files stored on the cloud are also secured.
Of course, it takes more than antivirus to secure computers. Humans are the biggest weak link when it comes to compromising Internet security. Attackers these days approach your employees and deceive them to provide crucial passwords. For better security in your company, invest in both Internet security solutions and your employees.
Job Sites to Search Employees
Often called job boards, these websites advertise jobs and resumes from people around the world. They are what newspapers used to be when companies needed to get new employees. On a job portal, you advertise any openings in your company and state what you require from applicants.
Like web hosting services, go for the top companies. Glassdoor, Monster, Indeed and CareerBuilder are some of the biggest names in the industry. You can find a better analysis of the companies on thetop10sites.com. See their ranks, ratings and unique features before picking the right company.
If you are serious about attracting the best applicants, hire a professional to post jobs for you on job boards. The way you word titles, the information you give and salary perks can attract or dissuade top applicants to your company.
Another factor to consider is the job portal’s fees. Each of the top companies charges you to post jobs or have your jobs advertised to the most qualified persons. If you are satisfied by fees, narrow down to the portal’s search criteria. Also, find out if the portals can be linked to recruiting software. You want a system that automatically forwards applicants’ record automatically for easy sorting and recruitment/.
Background Checks
Background check websites are some of the most criticized companies in the industry. Yet, modern businesses can’t afford to do without them. Cases of employees leaking important company files are not new.
Think of Edward Snowden, the former CIA employee who leaked classified information about the US government’s surveillance around the world. Snowden had already been cleared by background checking company but ended up doing irreparable damage.
Had the CIA invested in a better background checking company, the agency would probably have found something off in Snowden. Maybe not—but a good background check on your employees is better than none. If not for leaking your company’s programs, you want background checks to identify applicants with questionable pasts.
A good background checking website does a report of everything you want searched for in applicants. The find data from local courthouses to find out past criminal records. They evaluate the subject’s credit issues, drug usage, accreditation, and other issues. Go for a company known for being accurate and confidential with your applicants’ records.
Freelancer Sites
Unless you are a huge business, you will probably benefit from freelance services this year. Think of your e-commerce site. You need bloggers to say good things about your products to increase sales. If you want your website’s design upgraded, freelance services are the quickest providers to run to.
If you have any services that can be done by freelancers, you should probably use the services. Freelancers are often cheaper, do the job faster and can do it in a better manner. You save on costs and get the job done efficiently.
The most popular freelance sites in 2019 are Upwork, Freelancer.com, Fiverr, guru, and DesignCrowd. The sites provide writing; design, programming, marketing and accounting services. Simply research more about each company. Evaluate their fees and other features and settle on the best company.
To Conclude
For small and medium businesses out there, leverage the Internet to get quality services at low costs. Don’t hire permanent employees with benefits for jobs that can be done by freelancers. Find employees easy on job portals, invest in security solutions and anything else that can help your business grow.