Ever been away from your computer and wanted to access your files with your laptop?  Ever wished that the document you updated on your desktop computer was synced to your laptop or phone?  Now, seamlessly, you can with Dropbox, and it’s super simple and it is free for up to 2GB!

Here’s their ‘features’ video…check it out, it may make your life just a little bit easier!

I hope this tip helps…

Preston Ehrler, Webvantix

The first questions I ask people when discussing their websites is, what is your site for?  What do you want to get out of it?  Essentially, why do you have it?  Most of the time people stumble for an answer, but ultimately the answer is that they want business to be generated from their site.  Seems simple enough right?

The next question is the linchpin though:  What’s your conversion rate?

Usual answer:  “Our what?”

Conversion rate is pretty simple, it’s the number of actions (clicks for a sale, or to generate a request for information, or downloading a whitepaper etc), over the number of visitors to your site.  Therefore, 1000 visitors in a month, 10 actions taken, equals a conversion rate of 1%.

Depending upon your business, conversion rates should be between 1.5% and 3%.  If you’re in a wide open field like web design, it will be less.  If you’re in a niche market it could be much higher.  Regardless, this is a number you, as a business owner, should know!

Now, the next issue therefore becomes, what are you doing to increase your conversion rate?  Why, because a higher conversion rate equals more sales to your business, and that’s always the ultimate goal.

I had this discussion with a roofer in North Carolina, who said he had plenty of leads but it was his closing ratio that was too low.  Yet, if your closing ratio remains low and you cannot change that variable, why not change another variable, and work to convert more visitors to leads.

What are some things that you can change to increase your conversion rate?

• Is your site navigation (NAV) a mess?  Clarify it!
• Is your Home page packed with too much info and no clear place to go?  Simplify it!
• Do you have landing pages specifically created for your unique visitors?  Get ‘em!
• Do you have great, oversized ‘Calls to Action?’  Create the ASAP!
• Is your content stale and stagnant?  Change it and add to it often!
• Do you import external content, like YouTube videos you’ve created?  Do it!

If you have any questions or need advice or help, just let me know…

I hope this helps!

Preston Ehrler, Webvantix

This Christmas it’s important to review some points to help keep you safe online–of course these aspects of online security can be applied throughout the year as well!

Be Wary of any e-Cards

If anyone sends you an e-card throughout the year, make sure you absolutely know who the sender is.  If you don’t, simply delete it, as malicious code can be uploaded to your system via e-card and it’s becoming a very popular way to get this done.

iPad Schemes

If you receive an e-mail offering $99 iPads, know that it’s a SCAM.  Apple keeps it’s authorized dealers in tight reign, and price points below what is standard and set by Apple are not allowed.

Don’t Link to a Site

If you’re using a search engine or you’ve received an email with a “Special Offer” that seems too good to be true, be careful.  It’s always best to physically type in the url of the domain you want to access–and if you receive an email from your bank or Pay Pal, NEVER select the link in the e-mail EVER!  Most likely this is a scam to get you to hijack your password.  Always type in the url for your bank and Pay Pal access.

Charities

Be vary wary of any charities that contact you requesting contributions at this time of year.  Be sure to check them out thoroughly before ever donating.

Nigerian Requests for Help

This old scam is still running strong.  You receive some type of “formal” looking letter that states you are the recipient of hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars, but you have to transfer them money first.  Yes, people still fall for this.  Delete them immediately and if using an email system like Gmail, report them as SPAM.

HTTPS

When making a purchase online, be sure the server the store is on is secure.  This can be checked by viewing their url as beginning with “https” for secure, instead of “http” or unsecured.

Update Your Security Software

Be sure to run Windows Defender and an additional layer of security (we use AVG), and keep them up to date at all times!

When online just remember (and when offline as well–Bernie Madoff), that if it sounds too good to be true, it is!

Preston Ehrler, Webvantix