Whether you want to build a new website for your business or refresh your old site, hiring a web designer can be a critical part of the process. After all, this is someone who will create the online face of your company, letting you reach out to customers—something that has a massive role in driving sales and boosting revenue. But the question is, how do you choose the best website designer for your needs? And no, “It depends“ isn’t an answer. Today, I’ll show you how you can hire a reliable web designer that meets your exact needs, requirements, and goals. What to Expect When Hiring a Web DesignerHiring a web designer isn’t easy, but you have to do it, especially since 75% of users will judge your credibility based on how your website looks. The good thing is you look for a person with appropriate skill sets on several online platforms, compare their portfolios, interview prospects, and then finally hire one who impresses you most. Step 1 – Define Your Website Requirements and Design Needs Step 2 – Search for Candidates Online Step 3 – Shortlist Your Prospectives and Make the Final Call The GoodBefore you start looking for a web designer, you have to decide which direction you want your website to go in. This may sound complicated, but it really isn’t. Think about the type of website you want, the functionality you want to add, and the tech you want to offer. Your designer can make your vision a reality–provided you communicate your requirements and desires clearly. With freelance marketplaces like Upwork, Freelancer.com, and Toptal, finding great candidates is incredibly easy. These places have hundreds of designers, each with different pricing and expertise, making them feasible for small and large businesses. You can see portfolios, ask questions, discuss their working process, and so on before making the final call. Moreover, most of them also offer money security, so you don’t have to pay the freelancers unless you’re satisfied with the end result. The BadYou can have a more expensive and better-looking website when compared to your competitor, and no doubt, it does have its perks. A well-designed layout improves visitor experience, makes your business look more legitimate, and keeps your visitors on your page for longer. But there’s really no point in having a good website design if your business idea isn’t good enough. Test out your business idea to see whether it can make money before injecting hundreds of dollars into designing a website. In my experience, it’s better to wait when it comes to hiring a designer if you’re still trying to get the business off the ground or if you don’t have a healthy market for your product or service. Additionally, designing a website is only half the work—you also need an actual functioning website (this is where a web developer comes into the picture), SEO-optimized content, an excellent product or service, a good support team, among others aspects indirectly related to your website. Step 1 – Define Your Website Requirements and Design NeedsHere’s a simple question for you: How do you want your website to look? You have to figure out the answer to this question if you want a good end product. Translating a vague idea conceived in someone else’s brain into something tangible, and your web designer is no exception. The more specific you are, the better website you’ll have. Determine Your Tech NeedsWebsites can be of different types. For instance, a brochure site is different from a site offering users a specific functionality. While the former is created to inform visitors about your brand and contact details, the latter seeks to help visitors. This can include offering a free grammar check, supplying domain authority information, and so on. Let me explain this with an example. Suppose you want to launch a website for your non-profit. You should know whether you have the expertise to manage and maintain the website, want to implement portal logins and donation links, and if users can integrate with specific profiles. Get it? Here’s how you can decide your tech needs:
Finalize the Feel of Your WebsiteVague concepts and ideas can spell disaster—precisely why you need to chalk out your website’s look and feel. Start by creating a list of websites you like and articulate what you like and dislike about them. Remember, you have to be specific here. Think about whether you would want to give visitors choices, how you’d like to receive feedback, and what aspects you consider most important in your website. Budgets are equally important, so think about what you’re willing to cut and what are your top priorities. Try to incorporate as many pointers as possible and draw a rough draft of how you want your website to look. This will give your designer a direction of where you’d like to go—even if your drawing looks like a random scribble on the paper. Trust me, it’ll help tremendously down the line. You’ll be able to communicate your ideas to your website designer better, and the designer can then tell you how achievable your vision is and what it will cost. Step 2 – Search for Candidates OnlineThe internet is the best place to find capable web designers and web designing agencies. You can perform a broad search or get as specific as you want by including the name of your city or area in your search query. Go through the different search results, and compile a list of prospects that look good to you. Do a Google SearchThe whole point of Google is to provide you with the best possible search results for your queries. It’s why performing a Google search for “web designers for hire” should top your to-do list. You can go into more detail by searching for terms like “WordPress web designers” or “WordPress web designers in California,” too. You’ll see a list of the most popular web designers for hire on various marketplaces like Upwork, Toptal, and 99Designs. Let’s discuss how you can hire a web designer on these platforms. Hiring a Web Designer On UpworkUpwork is arguably the best site for hiring a freelance web designer. It’s a massive user-friendly job portal marketplace. Freelancers can apply for your web designing job post, and you can go through the list of applicants to select the right match. Upwork also offers a time-tracking feature to make billing accurate and fair. What’s more, it takes screenshots of a freelancer’s monitor every few minutes to ensure they’re actively working on your project. Hiring a Web Designer On ToptalToptal is the crème de la crème of freelancers. They say they have the top 3% of the best freelancers as only experts apply freelancers on the platform. They also have a stringent five-step screening process. In short, you’re assured of the best talent. You must have a higher budget if you plan on using Toptal freelancers. After all, they are experts. Hiring a Web Designer On FiverrFiverr is another reliable site that offers capable web designers at affordable rates. Now, this marketplace has a very different approach: It’s the freelancers that post about the kind of jobs they want to do. You look at profiles and hire them if you like what you see. Think of Fiverr as a search engine. You’ll find freelancers from all over the world, portfolios, feature ratings, and reviews there. Step 3 – Shortlist Your Prospectives and Make the Final CallShortlisting candidates means eliminating those who lack the technical skill and expertise you require. Or perhaps you just don’t resonate with their portfolios. You can nix a candidate for any reason. Again, this is an elaborate process where you analyze portfolios, contact past clients, and finally, discuss your vision with the selected web designer and get a price quote and timeline. Look for the Right Skill SetsA Photoshop prodigy isn’t enough to get the job done. You want someone who understands how to create a website that can meet your business objectives. Below, we’ve compiled a list of a few skills a web designer should be proficient in. Of course, the prospects don’t need to have all the skills—just as many as possible. Mobile Optimization Websites today have to be optimized for all devices, including smartphones and tablets. Therefore, all prospects should be comfortable building a mobile-first design or mobile-responsive website that has functional visual and interactive elements on all devices. Content Management System or CMS Expertise You can use CMS software to make updates to an already live website. These systems make it easy to add, modify and remove content from your website to improve it further. Hire a designer who can work with at least one CMS platform—I recommend WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla—so that you don’t have to call the web designer every time you want to make a change to your website. HTML and CSS Knowledge Yes, you’re right: Designers don’t have to be computer programmers. However, HTML and CSS proficiency is needed as the two languages are the building blocks of websites. It’s also what distinguishes web designers from graphic designers. Adobe Creative Suite Adobe Creative Suite includes Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. These are tools used to create original designs to fit their client’s needs. So, your prospects should be experts with these tools. If a designer uses software other than Adobe Suite, ask them why they prefer it. Judge them based on how confidently they answer your question. Search Engine Optimization or SEO Skills Your web designer should abide by SEO best practices. It’s really the only way your website can rank higher and get you more organic traffic. This may come as a shock to most, but designers have a crucial role in making your website visible to search engines. Gauge whether a prospect speaks confidently about SEO and if any of their past sites rank on the SERPs. Typically, it’s best to have someone who is an expert in Photoshop and branding and has abundant knowledge about design implementation and working with a front-end developer. Familiarity with back-end technology would be a plus too. Continuing with our non-profit example, let’s assume you want to add donation abilities to your website that’s suitable for beginners. In this case, the web designer should use a sophisticated website builder like WordPress.com or Wix. Not only can both platforms easily integrate donations and offer affordable plans, but they’re also beginner-friendly, having fewer upfront capabilities. Analyze the Portfolios of ApplicantsWhen looking for design portfolios, you’ll find that most of the designs don’t suit your taste. This is because these designs are a reflection of the vision of their previous clients. So don’t rule them out just yet. On the contrary, you should look for diverse work samples as it’ll give you a better idea of how the designer incorporates the client’s requests into the final result. It is how you can identify the most talented and versatile web designer. Here’s how you can properly analyze a portfolio to shortlist candidates: Check the Website Design
Check Usability by Visiting the Actual Sites
Check the Business Potential
Check the Website Functionality
Communicate With Your Designer’s Past ClientsWhile viewing a portfolio will give you a better idea about the website design, speaking with a prospect’s past clients will tell you how it’s like working with them. Wondering what to ask the past clients? Here are a few pointers:
Remember, an unhappy client may not always be the designer’s fault. Try to assess whether the problem lies with the web designer or the client. Make the final call after going through all the applicants. Access every candidate’s strengths and weaknesses, portfolios, and most importantly, their work ethic. Finally, choose a web designer that you find the most suitable for your specific website. via Quick Sprout https://www.quicksprout.com/how-to-hire-website-designer/
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Slack has quickly become one of the most popular business communication platforms on the planet. Trusted by 750,000+ companies across every industry, this live chat, voice, and video conferencing tool is a fast and simple way for teams to communicate. In fact, the company unintentionally turned into a verb. It’s not uncommon for people around the office to say something like “Slack me later,” or just “Slack me,” to their co-workers. But Slack is not a project management solution out-of-the-box. However, it can be used to extend the functionality of a project management tool to improve the way teams collaborate. Integrating your project management software with Slack limits the amount of time you need to spend going back and forth between each platform. Slack can automatically notify you about task assignments, deadline reminders, and more. You can even mark tasks as complete within Slack. Ready to take your project management process to the next level? This guide will teach you how. What to Expect When Integrating Project Management Into SlackHere’s a brief overview of the step-by-step process for integrating Slack with your project management software:
The GoodThere’s a good chance that you won’t have to switch project management solutions to get started. Slack integrates with all of the best project management software on the market today. So for those of you who are already comfortable with a certain tool, you probably won’t have to re-train your team to use another solution. The integration process itself is really simple. There isn’t any coding required, and non-technical users can complete the integration with just a few clicks—no need to hire a developer or get your IT department involved with this process. Once the integration is complete, your team won’t have to spend as much time in the project management platform. For many companies, the Slack dashboard is open during all working hours. Teams are used to having Slack messages appear in the background of whatever they’re working on, so they can quickly contribute to time-sensitive communications. But having to keep your project management dashboard open at all times can clutter your desktop and slow down your productivity. The Slack integration eliminates this need. All of the project management notifications will go directly to Slack instead. So your team can view and respond to these notifications in the platform that they’re already using. This capability is perfect for teams who are already familiar with Slack but new to the idea of working with project management software. Aside from the PM software integration, Slack has other capabilities that are perfect for project management as well. You can create different channels for teams, projects, updates, and more. This is an easy way to keep everyone organized and ensure all of your messages are going to the right people. Slack works for team file sharing and collaboration too. In addition to project management software, Slack integrates with file management services like Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, and more. You can use Slack to automate workflows for complete customization as well. For project teams and project managers alike, integrating project management into Slack will benefit everyone. The BadSlack is not a replacement for standalone project management tools. It doesn’t come with Gantt charts, Kanban boards, resource management tools, project management reports, time-tracking tools, and everything else you need to manage a project effectively. Integrating Slack with project management doesn’t eliminate the need to use your project management software. It just extends the functionality of each solution to better accommodate your needs. The Slack notifications and messages for project management will only be as good as the software you’re using. Everything still needs to be configured within that tool before you can get the most out of Slack. So if things aren’t organized in your project management dashboard, Slack won’t magically correct them. The main benefit of integrating Slack with project management is that you won’t have to constantly bounce back and forth between two dashboards—this is unproductive. But you can’t just close your PM dashboard and never open it again. Slack does have a free version, but that plan limits your integrations. If you haven’t done so already, make sure you upgrade to a paid version of Slack to avoid any problems here. It’s also worth noting that by integrating project management into Slack, your team will be getting more notifications than usual. This can cause productivity problems for people who can’t effectively manage their notifications. Some team members might find the extra messages disruptive. But simply changing your notification preferences can eliminate this issue. Like any new initiative, there will always be a learning curve. Some team members might have some pushback because they’re hesitant to change. As a project manager, you must be able to deal with this feedback properly to ensure your team embraces the change. Step 1 – Sign Up For SlackObviously, you need to have a Slack account to integrate your project management solution with this tool. So if you haven’t already signed up for Slack, this will be your first step. For those of you who already have a Slack account, don’t skip this step just yet. You should upgrade to a paid plan to avoid any issues with the integration. Slack does a free plan, but the integrations are limited. In general, the free plan isn’t a great option for business use anyways, so this upgrade is likely long overdue if you’re using Slack to collaborate with project teams. Here’s a brief overview of the plans and packages to choose from: I’ll describe each of these in greater detail below. StandardSlack’s Standard plan will be the best option for the vast majority of teams. The package supports an unlimited number of apps and integrations, so you can integrate Slack with your project management tool without any issues or restrictions. You’ll have access to your entire message history, and the plan comes with 10 GB of storage per user. The Standard plan allows you to work securely with other teams via Slack Connect. It supports OAuth with Google, Two-factor authentication, and custom retention policies for all files and messages. The plan comes with other great features like custom user groups for teams and departments and the ability to organize channels, messages, and apps into collapsible sections. These benefits are extremely useful for project management integration. Slack Standard offers priority customer support as well, so it’s definitely worth the upgrade from a free plan. PlusSlack Plus is built for larger organizations or anyone business that needs advanced administrative capabilities. If you’re a project portfolio manager, you could benefit from this package. The plan comes with double the amount of storage per user as the Standard plan and also offers SAML-based SSO (single sign-on). Slack Plus offers user provisioning, real-time active directory sync, and the ability to manage posting permissions for any channel. You’ll also benefit from a 99.99% uptime SLA. Enterprise GridThe Enterprise Grid package is designed for large businesses or organizations that need to accommodate strict industry regulations. For example, if you’re managing a project in the medical industry, you’d need Enterprise Grid for HIPAA-compliant collaboration. You’ll benefit from EMM (enterprise mobility management) integrations, an audit log API, and the ability to manage compliance, security, and billing from a single view. All Enterprise Grid customers have a designed account success team for the ultimate experience in customer service. If you’re interested in this package, you’ll need to contact the Slack sales team for a custom quote. Step 2 – Verify Your Project Management Compatibility With SlackOnce you’ve signed up, you need to make sure that your project management software can integrate with Slack. If you don’t see your software on the list, there are a few workarounds. You could potentially use a third-party tool like Zapier to connect Slack with your project management software. But most of you shouldn’t have to worry about this. If your project management software doesn’t connect with Slack, you might want to explore alternative solutions. Check out our list of the best project management software on the market today to see our top recommendations. Here’s how to search for your PM software in Slack: Navigate to the Integrations PageFrom the Slack home page, find Integrations under the Product menu at the top of the screen. This page will give you more information about connecting the tools you’re already using with Slack. It’s helpful to review this content if you’re unclear about how the integration works or if you have any other questions. When you’re ready to proceed, scroll until you see an option for the Slack App Directory. Slack integrates with 2,400+ apps. This number continues to grow on what feels like a daily basis. In addition to project management software, you’ll be able to connect other third-party business apps to Slack from this page as well. Search For Your Project Management SoftwareThere are a few different ways to find your preferred project management software in the app directory. For those of you who are already using a particular tool, the easiest way would be the search bar at the top of the page. If you’re not currently using a project management tool and you want to see what Slack has to offer, you can browse through the project management integrations by category as well. Navigate to the Categories menu on the left side of the screen. Then click on Project Management. Now you can browse through the countless options like Trello, Asana, Jira, Teamwork, Zoho Project, and more. Step 3 – Install Your Project Management App in SlackRegardless of how you navigated through the Slack App Directory, simply click on your project management software when you find it. Next, click Add to Slack on the left side of the screen for the software you’ve selected. For this example, I’m using Zoho Projects. It’s one of our top recommendations in the project management software space and versatile enough to accommodate any type of project. This step will look the same for whatever tool you’re using. It’s just a matter of finding that tool and clicking Add to Slack. Sign-in to Your Project Management Software AccountSlack will automatically prompt you to sign in to your PM account to complete the installation. Here’s what that page looks like for Zoho Projects: The screen will look slightly different depending on the software you’re using, but the same concept holds true across the board. Once you’ve signed in, you’ll need to just Allow Slack to integrate with your PM tool. This will complete the initial installation process. Step 4 – Manage Your Projects and Teams With Slack ChannelsTo use Slack effectively for project management, you should set up different channels for each team and project. Depending on the nature of your project, you can set channels to public or private. Slack channels will ultimately act as the primary communication method for your project team. So it’s important to segment things accordingly. This will also make it easier when you’re setting up the notifications in Slack from your project management software. Here’s an example of what project management notifications could look like within a Slack channel: Keeping your Slack account organized will be crucial to project management success. Otherwise, too much clutter and noise could backfire with what you’re trying to accomplish. Step 5 – Explore Slack’s Capabilities For Project ManagementBy now, you’re already up and running with Slack for project management. But to truly get the most out of this extended capability, you need to have a firm grasp of your options. In terms of project management functionality, here are a few possibilities for you to consider:
For advanced functionality, you can use Slack’s workflow builder to automate mundane processes. This is a no-code workflow builder, and can it’s an easy way to automate tasks between your project management software and Slack. via Quick Sprout https://www.quicksprout.com/how-to-integrate-project-management-into-slack/ We find ourselves in unique times. Outsourcing manpower and remote workforces have become the very lifeline for businesses to continue uninterrupted operations. Amidst all this chaos, conference calls have quickly become the need of the hour. As well as for client meetings, you can use conference calling to stay in contact with your team members and ensure the smooth functioning of the daily activities of your business. Whether your employees are from abroad or around the country, there are plenty of amazing free and paid conference call services for you to try out. In this guide, though, we’ll focus on an excellent cloud-based phone solution called Google Voice. Read on as we show you how to set up Google Voice conference calls for professional and personal use, alike. What is Google Voice Conference Calling?A conference call is an audio or video call involving multiple participants. You can hold and attend conference calls on Google Voice. People can join the meeting by dialing a number, which will connect them to a conference bridge. This bridge consists of virtual rooms where multiple people can host or join meetings. Google Voice uses Google Hangouts to complete conference calls, though it doesn’t require you to have a separate, dedicated conference line in either app to host or join the calls. So when you make a conference call via Google Voice, you’ll have a dedicated space within your account with anytime-anywhere access to host a conference call. 3 Tools to Improve Google Voice Conference CallingNow that we’ve discussed the meaning of a conference call, let’s take a look at what you need to easily make the call. Google Voice AccountIf you’re one of the very few people who doesn’t have a Google account, make sure you get one right away. Before setting up a conference call, you have to be signed in to your Google account. Once that’s done, you can proceed to make a Google Voice number for you. Don’t have a Google Voice account? I got you. Simply follow the steps below:
On the other hand, on clicking For Business, you’ll be redirected to a page with a Get Started button. Once you click on the button, you’ll see three different pricing plans: Starter, Standard, and Premier. Select one that seems the most appropriate for your business requirements. You can then sign up using your Google email address. Any Device to Make the Google Voice CallsYou can use iOS and Android devices for Google Voice conferencing calling. It can be either a mobile phone, computer, or tablet. A Stable Internet ConnectionAlthough it’s not a tool per se, having a reliable internet connection to make and attend calls via Google Voice is incredibly important. You see, Google Voice itself is cloud-based, which essentially means all its functions are held over the cloud, a.k.a over the internet. It’s why even you need the internet to use Google Voice. I also recommend getting a strong internet connection to make sure your conference runs smoothly. This goes for everyone joining the call because if any participant has a weak connection, it’ll result in audio and visual lags, which, in turn, will affect the call quality. The Basics of Google Voice Conference CallingLet’s now dive into the core components of making a conference call through Google Voice. No Holds Barred Conference Calling and SMSWith subscription plans starting at just $10 per user per month, Google Voice is one of the most cost-effective conference calling solutions you can get your hands on. If you compare this price to the standard cell phone or landline packages, you’ll find Google Voice to be way cheaper. Plus, you don’t have to worry about any minute restrictions or overcharges either! It’s included in the base rate. You can make unlimited free calls to the United States from any country, as well as from the US to Canada. Unlimited free SMS messaging is another benefit available to United States citizens. As mentioned previously, you have to use Google Voice with Google Meets or Google Hangouts as the service doesn’t offer video chat and conference calling as standard features. Incoming Calls Screening and FilteringYou can filter incoming calls through Google Voice—just like you set up filters and rules when emailing. The filtering feature can be particularly useful to manage the incoming calls more efficiently, which, in turn, will allow you to boost productivity. Whether it’s an old colleague you’d rather not talk to, receiving solicitation calls from spammers, or simply warding off unwanted numbers, Google Voice lets you send your calls to voicemail as well as block them altogether. You can also have a special voicemail message assigned to a specific number if you want. The call screening feature is where a caller introduces themselves before the call is put through you. This way, you’ll have a better idea about who you’re going to talk to before actually picking up the phone. Effortless Compatibility With Any DeviceYou get a free phone number from Google Voice that gives you unrestricted access from any device. You can use your Google Voice number to make and receive calls through iOS, Android, or web applications, ensuring everyone on your team can stay connected from anywhere. Bear in mind that you don’t get a desktop application for Google Voice, unlike other VoIP phone providers. Aside from the mobile apps, everything else is web-based. Strong ScalabilityGoogle Voice offers some fantastic scalable plans. The Starter plan, for instance, is best for teams of up to 10 members where you’ll be limited to 10 domestic locations. However, if you upgrade to the $20 per user per month Standard plan, you’ll get unlimited users and unlimited domestic locations. In addition to this, you get several other useful features like ring groups, eDiscovery for calls, SMS, and voicemail records, and multi-level auto attendants, to name a few. The Premier package, starting at $30 for use of a month, is more suitable for people who operate internationally. This plan supports unlimited international locations in addition to the unlimited users and unlimited domestic locations offered in the Standard plan. You can select a plan that suits your business requirements best, irrespective of how big or small your team is. 5 Tricks for Google Voice Conference CallingYou can use a few tricks and tips to optimize your conference calling experience on Google Voice. While there are many others, here are my top five: Make Sure Everyone Knows About the Conference CallConference calls often take longer, which is why everyone needs to clear their schedules before hopping on a call. It’s also why you must ensure everyone knows about the conference call beforehand. Moreover, participants will know when to call your Google number and at what time as well. When you’re on a call, you can press 5 to add every subsequent call. You can create a Google Calendar invite, where you add Google Voice Conference Calling as an event before sending out invites to your guests. Or you can send a message or email telling them about your intent to hold a conference call. The choice is yours. Customize Day-to-Day WorkflowsGoogle Voice can be great for customizing daily workflows around scheduled conference calls. It has an admin control center that lets you customize number assignments, porting, auto attendance, call forwarding, and reeling from a single location. You can assign one of your Google Voice numbers to different users with just a few clicks. Remember, the platform isn’t compatible with third-party software outside of the Google family. So don’t expect integrations with a CRM, helpdesk, or other apps. Link More Phone NumbersGoogle Voice users can use any other phone number to make and receive calls and texts. While you can link up to six different phone numbers, you can’t link numbers that have already been linked to a different Google Voice account. Here’s how you can link a new phone number in Google Voice:
And that’s it! You’ve now linked a new number to Google Voice. Detect and Deflect SpamNobody likes spam calls—not me, not you. However, they’ve become an everyday occurrence with an increasing number of scammers and spammers using spam to get your personal information. Not only does spam expose your team to potential scams, but it also kills productivity. Luckily, you don’t have to worry about spam when making conference calls through Google Voice. The service utilizes artificial intelligence technology to automatically filter spam calls. You can also view your spam calls, texts, and voicemails from another section of your Google Voice app. Think of it as your Gmail junk folder. Record Calls for Future UseGoogle Voice has a useful call recording feature that works with a single click. All you have to do is press the number 4 on your dial pad once all the participants are on call. An automated announcement will play for all call participants, explaining that the call is being recorded. If you want to stop the recording, press the number 4 again. You can also directly end the call to stop the recording. All the call recordings can then be accessed and played back in your voicemail tab. This can be useful for future reference where you can go back to it in case you forget an important point that was discussed during the conference call. Note: The call recording feature is only available for personal use and not for business use or workspace accounts. via Quick Sprout https://www.quicksprout.com/google-voice-conference-call/ Want to jump straight to the answer? The best business credit card for most people is definitely the Chase Ink Business Cash. A good business credit card goes beyond day-to-day purchases. They can give you high spending limits, fantastic rewards like airline points and cashback, and useful tools to grow your business. In many instances, you don’t even need a formal business structure to apply for a small business credit card. If you’re a freelancer or entrepreneur without a registered LLC, you can still apply for cards using your social security number as opposed to a tax ID or EIN.
This guide is perfect for anyone interested in a small business credit card. I’ll show you the top options and explain how to find the best business credit card for your situation. Top 8 Best Business Credit Cards for 2021There are hundreds of business credit cards on the market today. It seems like they all claim to be “the best” for something. But really, there are only eight business credit cards that I recommend:
I’ll highlight the top features, benefits, costs, and any other considerations for each one below. The Best Business Credit Card ReviewsChase Ink Business CashChase Ink Business Cash is the best overall business credit card. We love their benefits and flexibility for a wide range of business purposes. Chase offers outstanding rewards for things you’re already spending money on.
You get up to $1,750 cash back each year if you max out those first two categories. Chase offers built-in protection for instances using your Ink Business Cash card. You can decline collision insurance offered by rental companies when you’re renting a car. Chase Ink Business Cash has you covered. The card also provides purchase protection against theft or damage to items for 120 days, up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account. It also extends qualified manufacturer’s warranties on purchases for an additional year. You can get extra cards for your employees at no cost, and set individual spending limits for each cardholder and the Ink Business Cash card does not have an annual fee. *Terms apply – Learn how to apply onlineBlue Business Cash Card From American ExpressBlue Business Cash Card gives you the benefits of American Express without the annual fees. You’ll earn 2% cash back on purchases up to $50,000 in a calendar year. After that, you’ll receive 1% cash back on your purchases. Rewards will automatically be credited to your statement, so you don’t have to worry about manual redemption. One unique feature of this card is the spending capacity terms. You have the ability to spend above your credit limit with Amex’s expanded buying power. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll have unlimited spending freedom. The amount available above your limit varies based on things like your payment history, usage, and other factors. American Express offers outstanding travel and transportation benefits with this card. In addition to car rental loss and damage insurance, you’ll also have access to 24/7 services with global hotline assist whenever you’re more than 100 miles from home. This program gives you access to legal, financial, medical, and other emergency services coordination, such as helping you travel with a lost passport. Other Blue Business Card highlights include:
American Express has a long history of providing exceptional service to its cardholders. Their dispute resolution services are second to none. *Terms apply – Learn how to apply onlineChase Ink Business PreferredThe Chase Ink Business Preferred card offers better benefits and rewards than the Ink Business Cash card. However, customers need to pay a $95 annual fee. It’s a better option for business owners who spend more money regularly and prefer rewards points as opposed to cash back. Earn 3 points for every $1 spent on the first $150,000 in combined purchases on:
Earn up to 450,000 points per year if you spend money in those categories. You’ll get 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases, unlimited. If you redeem your travel points with Chase Ultimate Rewards, the points are worth up to 25% more. For example, 80,000 points will get you roughly $1,000 toward travel. You can even transfer qualified points to your favorite frequent travel programs at a 1:1 value. Chase Ink Business Preferred gives you protection for auto rental collision, cell phone protection, as well as trip cancellation or trip interruption insurance. If you miss a business trip or need to cut it short due to sickness, weather, or other situations, Chase will reimburse you up to $5,000 for prepaid, non-refundable expenses. This includes hotels, airfare, and tours. If you refer other business owners to an Ink Business Preferred card, you can earn up to 100,000 bonus points per year (20,000 per approved referral). *Terms apply – Learn how to apply onlineCitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum Select World MastercardThe CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum Select World Mastercard is the best business credit card for frequent American Airlines travelers. If you or your employees frequently fly with American, you definitely need to consider this card. Their benefits offering might make you want to consider flying exclusively with American Airlines after you read it. Travel Benefits:
Rewards Benefits:
You’ll also earn an American Airlines Companion Certificate for domestic travel after spending $30,000 per year. That’s easy to do if your business has a lot of routine spending. The certificate is worth a free round-trip domestic flight for someone else on your itinerary. NOTE: You’ll still be on the hook for taxes and fees. It’s easy to justify the annual fee is you travel with American Airlines often enough. Assuming you check a bag when flying, two round-trip tickets would normally cost $100 in bag fees. The card pays for itself right there. *Terms apply – Learn how to apply onlineAmerican Express Business GoldAmerican Express Business Gold is a great credit card if you’re looking to accrue a ton of points. The card allows you to earn 4x membership points on the top two categories where your business spends the most money each billing cycle. Those categories are:
The 4x points are valid for the first $150,000 spent per year combined on your top two categories. You’ll earn one point for every $1 spent after that. As such, this is a great card for businesses that regularly have big expenses each year. American Express has an outstanding membership rewards program for redemption. Your points will transfer to the majority of popular loyalty programs. Booking a flight with AmEx Travel allows you to pay with your points too. Do that and you’ll get 25% of those points back to your account. You also get all of the exceptional American Express travel perks like no foreign transaction fees, car rental loss and damage insurance, baggage insurance, and the global assist hotline. Furthermore, the Amex Business Gold card offers room upgrades and a $100 hotel credit for dining, spa, and other resort activities when you stay at a participating property for at least two consecutive nights. *Terms apply – Learn how to apply onlineChase Ink Business UnlimitedThe Chase Ink Business Unlimited credit card is very similar to the Ink Business cash card. However, rewards are earned differently. With the Ink Business Cash card, you’ll get a different percentage of cash back based on your spending category with certain limits and restrictions for how much can be earned in a year. The Ink Business Unlimited card is much more straightforward. You earn 1.5% cash back on all purchases; no limit. All of the other features and benefits are the same as the Ink Business Cash card. You’ll get a $500 cash back bonus after spending $3,000 in the first three months using the card. There is no annual fee for the Chase Ink Business Unlimited card. *Terms apply – Learn how to apply onlineCapital One Spark CashCapital One Spark Cash offers unlimited 2% cash back on all purchases. There is a $95 annual fee for this card, but it’s waived for the first year. Some of the top features and benefits for Capital One Spark Cash include:
The best part: If you accidentally lose a card, you can use your mobile app to immediately lock the card. That prevents it from being used by bad actors. You’ll also benefit from a detailed year-end summary report that’s perfect for budgeting and tax preparation. It’s easy to integrate your purchase records with Quickbooks to simplify your accounting tasks. Capital One provides emergency card replacement, as well as emergency cash 24/7 at locations throughout the world. Not everyone will be eligible for this card. To apply, you’ll need an excellent credit score and a business registered in the US. *Terms apply – Learn how to apply onlineCapital One Spark Miles For BusinessCapital One Spark Miles cards will be a favorite if you travel frequently. It rewards you with miles instead of cash or points. They offer two options: One card is free with decent perks, and the other has a $95 annual fee with better rewards. Beyond that, the two cards are basically identical. Here’s an overview of each one: Capital One Spark Miles
Capital One Spark Miles Select
The Spark Miles Select card will best for those of you who don’t want to pay the annual fee. But if you travel often enough, the $95 is justifiable for Spark Miles card. *Terms apply – Learn how to apply onlineHow to Choose The Best Business Credit CardNow that you’ve had the chance to review the top business credit cards, you’ll need to choose one for yourself. But the best business card for me might not be the best for you. Everyone’s situation is different. This is the methodology that we used to come up with the cards on this list. You can use the same process to evaluate the best option for your business. FeesOne of the first things you should look at is how much the card will cost you. The cards we reviewed ranged from $0 to $295 in annual fees. An annual fee is easy to justify if you’re going to be spending enough to get the most out of the perks and rewards. But if you’re a single-member sole-proprietor working out of your home office, you probably don’t need a card with an annual fee. Beyond that, look for APR, cash advance fees, foreign transaction fees, transfer fees, and late payment fees. Personally, I always pay my cards in-full each month, so the late fees and APR aren’t really relevant to me. But things like foreign transaction fees can add up quickly during international travel. RewardsWhat type of rewards do you want? Some cards offer cash back, while others offer points or miles. Cash back will likely be the best option for most of you. If you travel often for business, cards that reward you with miles should definitely be taken into consideration. Just make sure you understand how rewards get earned and if there are any stipulations. Some cards will limit the number of rewards you can earn in a year. Qualification TermsSome cards require you and your business to have excellent credit. You won’t get approved for certain cards if your credit score is below 700. You’ll also need to have an incorporated business to be eligible for certain cards. Other cards allow you to apply using just your name and social security number. Loyalty ProgramsThere are certain business credit cards that are tied to a specific loyalty partner. For example, the CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum Select World Mastercard is an American Airlines card. In most cases, it’s best to stay away from those airline or hotel-specific cards because you won’t be rewarded as much for purchases with another company. So you’re better off with general miles, cash back, or points that can be used with any airline or hotel. With that said, if you know that you’ll be flying a specific airline often, these types of loyalty programs will give you the most rewarding benefits. So if you fly from Chicago to Dallas once a month (both American Airlines hubs), it makes perfect sense to get a card tied to AAdvantage. Spending HabitsA business spending $10,000 per year shouldn’t have the same credit card as a company charging $100,000 per year. Your spending categories can also influence your decision when choosing a card. Certain cards offer better rewards for purchases at restaurants or gas stations. Others will give you extra benefits for money spent on advertising or your phone bill. PerksThere are dozens and dozens of potential perks that could sway you to choose one card over another. Some of these include:
The list goes on and on. Find a card with perks that align with your business and spending habits. For example, the American Express Business Gold card has a 50,000 point sign up bonus if you spend $5,000 in the first three months using the card. But if you don’t normally spend $5,000 in three months, this card isn’t for you. The $295 annual fee won’t be worth it. ConclusionEvery business owner needs a credit card. Fortunately, the credit card companies have created cards with a wide range of benefits, rewards, and perks to accommodate your needs. Here’s a quick recap of the best business credit cards on our list:
Whether you want cash back, miles, or points, I made sure to include something for everyone on this list. Some of these cards are best for larger businesses that travel frequently, while others are suitable for small business owners and sole proprietors. via Quick Sprout https://www.quicksprout.com/best-business-credit-cards/ Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Want to jump straight to the answer? My top pick for the best business checking account is Novo Bank or Axos. Your business needs a checking account. Whether you’re running a large company or a side hustle, you’ll need to separate your business transactions from your personal finances. For the most part, a business checking account functions very similarly to a personal checking account. However, business checking accounts typically have extra fees, minimum balance requirements, and monthly transaction limits. So before you open a new account, it’s important that you find a bank that meets the needs of your business.
Top 12 Best Business Checking Accounts For 2021There are hundreds, if not thousands, of business checking accounts on the market today. From small local banks to large national chains and online-only banking, there are really only eleven accounts that I would consider.
The majority of these are free business checking accounts. Some do have a monthly fee, but it’s fairly easy to get those waived by meeting reasonable requirements. I’ll give you an in-depth review of the top business checking accounts below. We’ll cover the top features, benefits, prices, and any potential drawbacks that should be taken into consideration. The Best Business Checking Account ReviewsNovo – Best online-only business checking account for freelancers and entrepreneursNovo is an alternative to traditional banking. It’s an online-exclusive business checking account intended for freelancers and entrepreneurs. They’re a straightforward solution with transparent pricing and no hidden fees. You can apply for a Novo account in less than ten minutes online. These are some of the notable highlights for Novo business checking:
Novo lets you open a new business checking account with just $50. This is a modern banking solution. You can integrate your account with Zapier, Xero, Slack, and other tools that your small business is currently using. Since it’s online, you can’t walk into a physical branch. So if your business has in-person banking needs, then Novo isn’t for you. However, Novo will reimburse you for ATM fees imposed by other banks. So you’ll still be able to access cash from anywhere without paying an extra fee. Axos Basic Business Checking – Best online-only business checking account with no monthly feesAxos Basic Business Checking offers an excellent online-only checking service with zero monthly fees. Some great features of the account:
The online and mobile banking solutions from Axos are exceptional, as you would expect from an online-exclusive bank. You can deposit a check from anywhere using your mobile device. Overall, Axos Basic Business Checking is suitable for small business owners with modest banking needs. Chase Business Complete BankingSM – Best checking account for small businessesChase Business Complete BankingSM is a great checking solution for small business owners due to their lucrative bonuses, excellent customer support, and different ways to waive monthly fees. They also have a great payment processing option that allows you to accept payments on the go. Top benefits and highlights of Chase Business Complete BankingSM include:
Chase also offers 24/7 customer service for customers. This is fantastic for those any issues, big or small, that might come up. They offer the tools you need to manage your growing business, including some of the best business credit cards on the market today. Overall we find that Chase Business Complete BankingSM is one of the best checking accounts for small businesses. Radius Bank Tailored Checking – Best online business checking for unlimited cash back and transactionsRadius Bank Tailored Checking offers a very lucrative online business checking account that offers unlimited cash back. You’ll also be able to immediately start earning 1%+ cash back on “signature-based” credit transactions that you make using their debit card. It takes just minutes to open an account too and you can get started as soon as you do. Couple that with their unlimited transactions along with their ATM fee reimbursement, and this makes Radius Bank’s Tailored Checking a very good option for bootstrap businesses and entrepreneurs. Here’s a more comprehensive list of their standout features:
Overall, Radius offers a very solid digital business checking account. Get started in less than 10 minutes today. BlueVine – Best business checking for bootstrappy entrepreneursBlueVine Business Checking offers great accounts tailored for entrepreneurs. Their features list is perfect for bootstrappy startups:
Easily set up one-time or recurring payments through their dashboard. Also, you’ll be able to easily pay vendors via ACH, wire, or check. As for downsides, there aren’t many. They have a 38,000 ATM network—though it might be difficult to find an ATM within network depending on your location. BlueVine also gives you live support, though advisors are only available during office hours. That’s Monday through Friday 8am – 8pm ET. Citizens Bank Clearly Better Business Checking – Best free business checking account with no minimum balanceFor those of you seeking a free business checking account, look no further than Citizens Clearly Better Business Checking. You won’t have to worry about meeting any minimum balance requirements because there are no maintenance fees. This makes Clearly Better Business Checking a top choice for business owners who maintain a lower bank balance. Other top features include:
One potential drawback of Citizens Bank is its size. While the company has more than 1,000 branches and 3,100+ ATMs nationwide, most of them are located on the east coast. So if you’ll need to visit a branch, for anything, verify that there is a Citizens Bank near your business before opening an account. Unlike other business checking accounts, Citizens does not offer a sign-up incentive for Clearly Better Business Checking. TD Business Convenience Checking Plus – Best checking account with up to 500 free transactions a monthYou can open a TD Business Convenience Checking Plus account with just $100. However, you’ll need to maintain a $1,500 daily balance to waive the $25 monthly maintenance fee. If you link a personal checking account to your Business Checking Plus account, TD Bank counts your combined balance between the two accounts toward the daily minimum. So this is a great choice for business owners who already have an account at TD Bank. Let’s review some of the account benefits:
While TD Business Convenience Checking Plus does have a high maintenance fee, you’ll benefit from more free monthly transactions. For comparison purposes, Chase Total Business Checking has a $15 fee for just 100 free transactions each month. Plus, it’s easy to waive TD’s $25 fee by maintaining a low combined balance between two accounts. Even though you’re limited to $5,000 free cash deposits each month, you’re only charged $0.25 per $100 thereafter. So an additional $5,000 cash deposited in a cycle ($10,000 total) would cost you $12.50. That’s just 0.13% of your deposits, which is next to nothing. TD Bank gives you access to other services, like merchant solutions, business loans, and business lines of credit. US Bank Silver Business Checking – Best free checking account for low transaction volumesUS Bank Silver Business Checking is 100% free. They do impose a $5 monthly fee for paper statements, but you can waive that charge by going paperless. Here’s an overview of the account benefits:
One thing that needs to be taken into consideration is the strange wording US Bank uses to limit cash deposits. The account allows 25 “units” of free cash deposits each billing cycle. After reading the fine print, you’ll learn that a unit is calculated by dividing each deposit by 100 and rounding the value to the closest whole number. Here’s an example. Let’s say you deposit $920. 920 100 =9.2 Round 9.2 down to 9, and you just used 9 of your 25 credits for the month. This credit system is a complex way of saying you’ll get up to $2,500 in free cash deposits each billing cycle. So if you’re making cash deposits on a regular basis, this account might not be the best option for you. Huntington Unlimited Business Checking – Best business checking for large businesses with high cash flowHuntington Unlimited Business Checking is a top option for larger organizations. If you have a higher monthly transaction volume, some of the other accounts on our list won’t fit your needs. The top features and benefits of Unlimited Business Checking from Huntington include:
Huntington does charge a $20 monthly maintenance fee for this account. But it’s waived with a $10,000 combined balance between all of your eligible Huntington Bank accounts. With an Unlimited Business Checking account, Huntington Bank allows you to choose one of the following bonus services as well:
This bank also has a tool called “The Hub” for business checking accounts. It comes with several digital tools for things like cash positioning and cash flow forecasting. The Hub is a great resource for managing your revenue and expenses. Navy Federal Business Checking – Best business checking account for veteransNavy Federal Business Checking is a top choice to consider if you or someone in your family is a member of the armed forces, National Guard, or DoD. It’s a straightforward and basic account, best for startups with a low transaction volume. The best part about this account is that it’s 100% free. You’ll never be charged a monthly maintenance or service fee. Your first 30 non-electronic transactions are free. After that, it’s $0.25 for any in-branch deposits, withdrawals, or transfers. But you can deposit up to 12 checks at the same time, and it will count as a single transaction. Another reason why I like Navy Federal Business Checking is because they have other banking solutions to meet your needs as the business grows. Once your banking activity increases, consider upgrading to:
Those accounts cost $8 and $20 per month, respectively. The Premium Checking maintenance fee is waived if you maintain a $5,000 daily balance. BBVA Business Connect Checking – Best business banking for sole proprietorsBBVA has free banking solutions for small businesses. Sole proprietors can apply online for a BBVA Business Connect Checking account. Other business types need must apply at a branch. Here’s an overview of the account advantages and highlights:
BBVA gives you free unlimited transactions every month, sort of. You’ll get two in-branch deposits, and five in-branch withdrawals or processed checks free each month. All other transactions are unlimited at no charge. You’ll only find BBVA branches in the following states:
However, you’ll have access to a network of 55,000+ ATMs nationwide. That’s because BBVA is an Allpoint partner. There are no ATM fees at Allpoint ATMs and participating 7-Eleven locations. Azlo Business Checking – Best online bank for freelancers accepting digital paymentsAzlo Business Checking is a bit unique compared to the other options on our list. This online-only banking solution is made for freelancers and entrepreneurs. The company is very straightforward in saying that they are not right for all businesses. Azlo doesn’t accept cash deposits or offer checkbooks. So it’s only suitable for businesses that send and receive digital payments. With that said, the account definitely has its advantages:
Azlo integrates with platforms like Stripe, PayPal, Square, QuickBooks, and Xero. Overall, Azlo is a modern way for freelancers to access their banking needs online. But it’s definitely not suitable for everyone. How to Find the Best Business Checking Account For YouAll business checking accounts are not created equally. The best choice for one business might not be ideal for yours. This is the methodology that you should use when you’re evaluating business checking accounts. I’ll explain each feature in greater detail below. FeesService fees and monthly maintenance fees are common for business checking accounts. In most cases, these fees fall somewhere in the $10 to $50 range. But there are still plenty of free business banking solutions. In fact, seven of the eleven accounts on our list don’t have monthly fees. While the remaining four contain fees, you can easily waive them by maintaining a minimum account balance. There’s no reason to pay these fees if you can avoid them. Balance RequirementsSome banks require a minimum opening deposit. So choose a bank with a reasonable opening deposit minimum based on your situation. If you’re launching a startup and don’t have a ton of cash on hand, you can open some accounts with as little as $50 or $100. Some banks don’t require a minimum opening deposit at all. In addition to the opening deposit requirement, some accounts will charge for you falling below a certain minimum daily balance. Make sure that your cash flow is enough to maintain your minimum requirements without getting penalized. Transaction LimitsPersonal checking accounts will rarely if ever, cap the number of transactions you can make in a billing cycle. But that’s not the case for most business checking accounts. Depending on the bank, activities like deposits, withdrawals, and transfers count toward a monthly limit. Some banks will restrict the number of in-person transactions you can make while offering free unlimited electronic transactions. For the most part, free monthly transaction limits start at 100. TD Business Convenience Checking allows for 500 free transactions per month. Other banks give you unlimited transactions, with a few contingencies. You’ll pay a small fee for each transaction over your monthly limit. This is usually somewhere in the $0.25 to $0.50 range. Mobile Banking and Online AccessibilityEvery bank offers some way to access your account online or through a mobile app. But with that said, some of these digital solutions are definitely better than others. Choose a business checking account that lets you deposit checks remotely, set up account alerts, and pay invoices automatically. I do nearly all of my business banking from a mobile app, and I’m sure you’ll want that convenience as well. Branch LocationsSome banks are region-specific, while others are large national chains. It’s important to choose a bank near your business location if you need to access a branch for anything. However, there are several business checking accounts that are online-exclusive. These banks don’t have any physical locations. But those solutions aren’t for everyone. For example, if your business accepts cash, you’ll definitely need access to a physical branch for in-person deposits. Online-only banking is very popular for freelancers and entrepreneurs working remotely and accepting digital payments. Additional Banking ServicesThis may not be important to you immediately, but it’s nice to have a bank that will provide you with additional services as your business grows. Whether it’s merchant services for credit card processing, additional accounts, or a business loan or line of credit, it’s easier to get these from a bank where you have an existing relationship. Always look at what else a bank has to offer beyond your immediate checking account needs today. ConclusionEvery business owner needs a business checking account. But everyone has different banking needs, which is why finding the best business checking solution can be difficult. These are the top twelve best business checking accounts on the market today:
There’s an account for every type of business on this list. From freelancers and startups to small businesses and larger organizations with high transaction volumes, I’m confident that you can find a checking account from one of the options above. via Quick Sprout https://www.quicksprout.com/best-business-checking-accounts/ A good social media WordPress plugin lets visitors engage with you on social media. It also helps social media followers convert on your website. Let’s look at an example: You wrote and published a killer blog post. A reader loves your post and wants to share it with their friends on social media. How do they do this?
Without the proper tools, the person would have to copy your blog link, navigate to the social platform, login, and manually paste the link before sharing it. They might even decide it’s not worth it to share your post. Or they might get distracted and forget to do it. Social media WordPress plugins can make it easy for website visitors to share with just one click. That’s just one example of why you need to install a social media plugin to your WordPress site. As we continue through this guide and review the best social media WordPress plugins, you’ll learn about the additional benefits. The 6 Best Social Media WordPress PluginsAfter taking a look at dozens of social media WordPress plugins, I’ve narrowed it down to the six best:
Read on to find my in-depth reviews of each one. 1. Social LockerSocial Locker is definitely one of my favorite social media WordPress plugins. Personally, I love the whole concept behind how this plugin works. Here’s the thing. Just adding social sharing icons to your website doesn’t necessarily give people a reason to follow you or share your content. You can increase those chances by installing this plugin. That’s because Social Locker restricts your premium content. For example, let’s say you have an ebook on your website. As opposed to charging for downloads, you use social media engagement as a currency. If someone follows, likes, or shares content on your website, the ebook is unlocked. Here’s an example of what this would look like from the perspective of a website visitor: For those of you who normally charge for various types of content on your website and don’t want to give it away for free, you can use these social engagements to generate discounts for that content. Maybe you have an online video tutorial that you normally charge to view. With Social Locker, you can choose to offer the video at a discount if a user shares your content. This plugin helps you drive social media traffic while simultaneously gaining quality followers. It’s a great way to generate new leads and drive conversions with social media integration on your website. 2. Social WarfareSocial Warfare is considered among the best social media WordPress plugins because it’s so simple. Other plugins have a reputation for slowing down your website, but that shouldn’t happen with Social Warfare. This plugin is designed to increase shares by adding social sharing icons to your website. You can add buttons for the most popular social media networks, including: If you upgrade to Social Warfare Pro, you’ll gain access to share buttons for other platforms like Reddit, WhatsApp, Buffer, Tumblr, Pocket, and more. Social Warfare also lets you choose exactly where you want to place the sharing buttons. You can add them above your content, below your content, in both of these locations, or manually place them on your pages. This plugin offers floating share icons as well — as a user scrolls your site, the sharing buttons remain in view at all times. Social Warfare allows you to track your results with UTM parameters. You can view analytics to see how well your sharing icons are performing so you can tweak them, if necessary. 3. Smash Balloon Photo FeedThe Smash Balloon Photo Feed WordPress plugin lets you share your Instagram content directly on your website. By adding your Instagram posts to your website, visitors will have a better idea of what type of content you share on that platform. And, they won’t have to search for your profile on Instagram. This is a great way to increase your Instagram followers. It’s also a great way to keep your site updated with the fresh images you’re posting on Instagram. Setting up the plugin is easy. All you need to do is link your Instagram account and determine where you want the feed displayed on your website. There is a premium version of this plugin that comes with features like:
For one website, you can purchase the pro license for $39. But if you just want the basic feed on your website, you can stick with the free version and save a few bucks. 4. Super SocializerAllowing your website visitors to create a customer profile benefits everyone. The user will receive more personalized content, and you’ll be able to learn more information about your customers so you can target them accordingly. It’s a win-win situation. But your users need to be able to create a profile at all. That’s easier said than done. Think about it for a minute: What steps does someone need to take to create a profile? At a minimum, they need to provide you with some personal information and create a username and password. People have so many accounts to keep track of on various websites. Is your site important enough to them to go through this? You can increase your chances of getting more visitors to do this by integrating your sign up and login process with social media. Super Socializer is perfect for this. Now users can create an account and login with just one click since they’re likely already signed in to their social media profiles. Plus, they won’t have to remember a new username and password. Another benefit of this plugin is that you’ll get access to more information about your website visitors. You can target people accordingly based on their social media likes and habits. You can also enable social comments with Super Socializer. This is a great way to drive conversation and get more comments on your blog posts. Overall, this plugin definitely has more advanced features and functionality that goes far beyond simple social sharing icons, although it does have those options as well. If you want an all in one plugin for social logins, social comments, and social sharing, Super Socializer is worth checking out. 5. Revive Old Post
Here’s another question: How do you decide what to share on social media? It’s not always easy to come up with ideas for social media posts. The Revive Old Post WordPress plugin by Revive Social provides a solution to both of these questions. This plugin automatically shares your previously published content on your social media platforms like:
Revive Old Post can share more than just your blog posts. It can also share pages, custom posts, and media from your website. The plugin will automatically fetch images from your content and attach them to the social media post. You’ll have complete control over how each post is shared. Maybe you just want the title of your post or page. Some of you may want more, such as a hashtag or fresh copy. Revive Old Post can be integrated with your Google Analytics profile. This is ideal for campaign tracking to see how well these links are performing. Overall, it’s a great way to automate your social media posting while simultaneously driving traffic to your website. BONUS: Revive NetworkRevive Social has another plugin, called the Revive Network. This plugin is designed specifically for Facebook and Twitter. It’s made for sharing content from other websites in your industry on social media. This is a great way to expand your professional network, in addition to sharing relevant information on your website. It’s great for those of you who don’t have an active blog or lots of content of your own. 6. Kiwi Social ShareKiwi Social Share is designed for the average WordPress user. If you’re looking for a plugin that’s easy to install, setup, and won’t confuse you with too many complex features, you’ll definitely want to take a closer look at this option. With Kiwi Social Share, you’ll be able to create custom icons for social media sharing on your website. You can choose the exact position of the icons, as well as enable a floating bar that’s always in view. They’ll give you the option to change the size and shape of the sharing buttons too. It has a “click to tweet” function for specific phrases as well. So if you’re writing a blog and want to highlight one of your favorite quotes, users can share that quote via Twitter with a link back to your blog. Kiwi Social Share doesn’t slow down your website and lets you create social sharing icons that are visually appealing to your visitors. Installing this plugin puts you in a great position to increase engagement on your website and gain more exposure on social media. Top features to look for in a social media WordPress pluginWant to know how we found the best social media plugins? Below are the seven criteria we judged each of the plugins on. Social icons — This shows your website visitors that you have social media pages. If they click on an icon, they’ll automatically be directed to the corresponding profile. Social logins — Allow people to sign into customer profiles using their social media accounts. This makes it easier on your customers since they won’t have to create brand new usernames and passwords to access content on your website. Social sharing icons — Website visitors can share content from your site to their social media profiles with just one click. Social feeds — Showcase your social media feeds directly on your website. This feature gives your website visitors an idea of what to expect if they follow your profiles. Social locking — Restrict your best content with a social locking tool. Content can be unlocked if a website visitor makes a specified action, such as following you or sharing content on social media. Social comments — Enhance the conversation in your comments section by adding social media comments to your posts. This is a great way to drive engagement and get more blog comments. Automated posting — Instead of manually posting your website content on social media, you can take advantage of plugins that do this for you. Now that you know the top features of the best social media WordPress plugins, it’s time to check out the top options to consider. ConclusionIt’s obvious that your website and social media profiles need to be working together to generate optimal results. So what’s the best social media WordPress plugin? It depends on what you’re looking for. Some of you might just want to add something simple, like social sharing icons to your blog posts or Instagram feeds to your landing pages. While others might be looking for features that are a bit more advanced, like restricting content based on social media actions. Maybe you want an all-in-one plugin that also has features like social signups and logins. Do you want to automate your social media posts with your previously published content? There’s a plugin for that too. As you can see from this guide, there’s a social media WordPress plugin for everyone based on your specific needs. Now, share this post with a friend who needs it. Naturally, there are social buttons right here for you to do just that. via Quick Sprout https://www.quicksprout.com/best-social-media-wordpress-plugin/ WordPress plugins allow you to endlessly customize your website. But which one is the best? And which one will do the most for your website?
There are more than 54,300 WordPress plugins. It’s an overwhelming number to say the least. That’s why I took the time to identify the best WordPress plugins for the most popular categories. I’ve already created extensive guides for each one of these 13 categories. Every guide contains a list of the best WordPress plugins in each segment. And if you’re after something specific, you should check out that post — many of plugins I recommend are for particular use cases. In-Depth Reviews of the Best WordPress Plugins in 13 CategoriesThis my the complete list of my in-depth plugin reviews for…
The Best of the Best WordPress PluginsEach of those posts reviews multiple plugins in each category. But most people don’t need to go that deep. That’s why I made this best of the best list. This is a resource to identify the top must-have plugin for each category. The plugins on this list are not the niche options; these are the plugins that will appeal to the masses. They’re the WordPress plugins I’d recommend broadly. Best SEO Plugin for WordPress — Yoast SEOThere are hundreds of WordPress plugins that will help improve your SEO strategy, but one stands above the rest. Yoast SEOYoast SEO is an all-in-one solution for your WordPress SEO needs. With more than five million active installations, it’s one of the most popular WordPress plugins on the market. I’m not saying you should always follow the crowd, but a number that big is a great indication of quality. Why I like it:
Cost: Free; $89 per year for premium Best Google Analytics Plugin for WordPress — MonsterInsightsMonsterInsights is the best WordPress plugin for Google Analytics. Google Analytics gives you in-depth knowledge and insights about your website traffic. By installing a plugin, you can have access to all of your Google Analytics reports without leaving your WordPress dashboard. This plugin lets you add your Google Analytics code to your website without any manual coding required. It’s advanced and versatile enough to handle analytics for all websites, including ecommerce shops. No wonder it has two million active installations. Why I like it:
Cost: $99.50 for a basic website, $199.50 for ecommerce sites, and $499.50 for agencies and developers — all plans billed annually Best Membership Plugin for WordPress — MemberPressMembership websites drive recurring revenue with a subscription business model. Think of those blogs or web newspapers you see online that ask you to subscribe for their content. You can offer premium features and content to your paid members. In order to set this up, you’ll need to install a plugin to manage memberships and payments on your WordPress site. MemberPress is the best plugin for this category. It makes it easy for you to convert your existing website into a membership site, without having to start from scratch. All you have to do is add the details of your payment gateway and set up your products and content in a members-only area. Why I like it:
Cost: $129 per year for Basic, $249 per year for Plus, and $349 per year for Pro Best WordPress Backup Plugin — VaultPressThis falls under the “you never want to need it–but you’ll be glad you have it when you do” category. In the event of a crash or malicious attack on your website, a backup plugin will be there to restore your content and minimize downtime. It will also act as a fail-safe against human error on your WordPress dashboard. We’ve been using VaultPress here on Quick Sprout since 2011. That’s because it’s so reliable and comes with great features to back everything up safely. It’s so easy for you to set up and automatically back up your website content. No tech expertise necessary. Why I like it:
Cost: Plans range from $39 to $299 per year Best WordPress Cache Plugin — WP RocketAdding a cache plugin to your website will help you speed up your page loading times. Out of more than 900 cache plugins available, one stands out as the best. The WP Rocket WordPress plugin is a very versatile cache plugin. It’s simple enough for beginners to figure it out, but has advanced features that can meet the needs of developers with more technical experience. Why I like it:
Cost: $49 per year for one website, $99 per year for three websites, and $249 per year for unlimited websites Best WordPress Security Plugin — WordFence SecurityRoughly 90,000 websites get hacked every day — 83% of those websites use WordPress. That’s why security needs to be a priority for you. Luckily, you can install a WordPress plugin to help beef up your website security. The one we suggest: WordFence Security. More than two million WordPress websites are currently using the WordFence Security plugin as a security solution. The plugin fights against malware, spam, and other threats in real time. It’s a great option for those of you who don’t have a background in IT or cybersecurity. You’ll still be able to secure your website with WordFence Security. Why I like it:
Cost: Free; premium version starts at $99 per year with other add-ons available for purchase Best Form Plugin for WordPress — Ninja FormsWebsite forms are crucial for collecting information. It’s the best way to get your website visitors to sign up for something, like your email subscription list. Ninja Forms is great because of its seamless integration into your WordPress dashboard. Once you have this plugin installed, you can create your first form in just minutes — allowing you to build your list, gather leads, or take in valuable data about your readers. Why I like it:
Cost: Free; $99 per year for Personal, $199 per year for Professional, $499 per year for Agency. Add-ons range from $29 to $129 per year. Best WordPress Gallery Plugin — NextGEN Gallerythough WordPress offers a gallery tool, it’s pretty #basic. For truly improving the visual appeal of your website, you’ll need something extra. Enter: A gallery plugin. NextGEN Gallery is one of the best WordPress plugins because you’ll have so many different gallery options to choose from. Other plugins just give you a couple of basic templates for adding images. It’s a great option for photographers and artists. Why I like it:
Cost: Free; paid versions available for $79, $99, and $139 per year Best WordPress Slider Plugin — Smart Slider 3Do you want to add a slider to your website? You can make sliders, carousels and blocks using a slider plugin. My favorite is Smart Slider 3, because it’s easy to use, reliable and super flexible. Using Smart Slider 3, you’re able to create a slider on your WordPress website using powerful design tools, and pre-built templates. There’s a free version and a pro version. Why I like it:
Cost: Free; aid versions available for $35-$250 depending on how many sites you want to implement the plugin on. Best Social Media WordPress Plugin — Super SocializerYour website needs to be integrated with your social media profiles. Otherwise, you’re not maximizing the potential of your social media. WordPress plugins can help you increase the exposure of your website content on social media. There are so many social media WordPress plugins designed for specific features. But Super Socializer is more of an all-in-one solution. So if you don’t want to install multiple social media plugins, I’d definitely recommend Super Socializer. Why I like it:
Cost: Free Best WordPress Calendar Plugin — EventONEvery business needs to stay organized. Calendar plugins can help you manage events, tasks, and bookings on your website. Some of these plugins are more advanced than others, but overall, there’s one that shines above the rest. EventON allows you to create calendars that will “wow” your website visitors. We’ve all seen websites with boring calendars that look like they were designed a decade ago without any updates. That definitely isn’t be the case here. EventON has modern designs that are visually appealing and fully functional. Why I like it:
Cost: $24; add-ons sold separately Best WordPress Directory Plugin — Directories ProDirectories are extremely versatile. Whether you want to add a directory to your site for internal purposes or create a global platform of business directories, the right WordPress plugin can help you meet those needs. No matter what type of directory you want to add to your website, the Directories Pro WordPress plugin will make it possible. This plugin is highly responsive and uses caching to boost your website’s performance. Make sure to enable reviews for your directory to enhance the content. You can even integrate listings with Google Maps. Why I like it:
Cost: $39 Best WordPress Popup Plugin — Layered PopupsDo you want to add popups to your website? Popups can be great for getting email subscribers, driving downloads, generating sales, or enticing other actions on your website. Regardless of your intention, you’ll need a WordPress plugin to make it work. Layered Popups is great because you can create popups that are visually appealing, so you have a chance to get creative. These popups will clearly stand out to your website visitors. It’s a chance for you to make unique popups compared to what people are used to seeing on other websites. Why I like it:
Cost: $21 Best WordPress Booking Plugin — BooklyBooking plugins are necessary for any website that takes appointments or reservations. Online booking systems will optimize your process on the back end while simultaneously improving the customer experience. If you’re not allowing online bookings, you’re ignoring the preferences of the majority of your customers — 70% of people prefer to book appointments online with service providers. Bookly has a sleek and modern design on both the frontend and backend. Booking options are completely customizable and fully responsive. You’ll definitely want to install Bookly if you’d like to take your customers through a quick and easy booking process. Why I like it:
Cost: $89; add-ons sold separately Best Website Builder Plugins — ZeGutenZeGuten is a website builder plugin. Instead of building your site line-by-line with code, you’ll use “blocks” to put it altogether. It works with everything from an online store to a fitness blog. It’s also responsiveness right out of the box so your website will looks great on mobile. There are 17 easy-to-customize blocks that you’ll work with to build each page on your site. This is the perfect option if you want to customize your WordPress site beyond a basic theme but don’t want to code the whole thing yourself. Why I like it:
Cost: $15 What exactly is a WordPress plugin?It’s essentially an app for your website. I love how WordPress is designed to be lean out of the box. This prevents code bloat — your website isn’t dragged down by bulky code for things you don’t need or use. The core of WordPress is simple. You can customize it with plugins.
Installing a plugin to your WordPress site provides you with advanced features that aren’t available with the bare bones version of WordPress. Where can you get a plugin? There are a number of places, but the primary source is the Official WordPress Plugins Repository. Conclusion: What’s the best WordPress plugin?These are the best overall options for each of the essential categories. Keep in mind, I identified these as the best because they appeal to the widest possible audience. Some of you may want plugins that have more specific features and functionality within each category. For example, you might want an SEO plugin that specifically helps you identify relevant keywords while you’re blogging. Or maybe you want a social media plugin that just adds your Instagram feed to your website. Do you want a Google Analytics WordPress that’s made for tracking specific events on your website? There’s a plugin for that too. There are caching plugins that are better for things like the cloning and migrating content between servers. The list goes on and on. So I’d definitely recommend reviewing the individual guides for each category as well. That way you’ll know for sure that you’re installing a plugin that meets your specific needs. More WordPress Plugin Guides
via Quick Sprout https://www.quicksprout.com/best-wordpress-plugins/ Your office is having its annual party, and you’re in charge of the food. You place the order for Italian food and inform your colleagues about it when Jenny from Accounts reminds you that the boss’s wife will also be there for the party and prefers continental food. Not wanting to spoil the party, you pick the phone again and add two continental dishes to the order when you receive another message reminding you about the sweet lime soda—one you completely forgot. Ugh! Doesn’t reading this feel chaotic enough? Now imagine this mess taking place at work. Luckily, requirements management can handle all of this chaos, allowing you to work systematically. What is Requirements Management?Requirements management refers to the process of gathering, understanding, refining, prioritizing, and planning every aspect of a project to ensure its success. It’s an ongoing process where team members monitor a product’s whole lifecycle to ensure the end product meets the needs of customers and stakeholders. You have to document every specification, assumption, exception, and decision. No doubt, the process takes a lot of time and effort. But in the end, all the effort you put in can simplify the whole shebang considerably. But why do you need requirements management? It can act as a point of reference while documenting the whole project from the starting point to the end. Even the client can use it as a blueprint to understand what to expect—the why, who, what, how, and when—from the project. 5 Tools to Improve Requirements ManagementThanks to developing technology, we now have a wide range of tools to help enhance requirements management. Let’s take a look at five of these. Jama SoftwareJama Software comes with excellent features to help you build better software. It provides you with an excellent solution to look after all your product development needs efficiently and effectively. This is an enterprise-level tool with an easy-to-use interface, test management, traceability, and requirements management. Users also get access to Jama Connect, a tool that can help improve quality and cycle times and minimize rework. JiraJira is an agile team favorite. You can use the software to configure your requirements, as well as test case traceability. The custom development workflows make Jira more of a project management tool, but it still has an excellent requirements management system that can be very useful. You can use the collaboration tools to share, watch, and comment on features so that every team member is on the same page always. Modern Requirements4DevOpsYou get 4DevOps with Modern Requirements4DevOps allows you to control work duplication, ensure requirements reusability, and facilitate asset to requirements connection. Creating, automating, managing, analyzing, and reporting requirements directly from your Azure DevOps file is also possible. It also has a built-in and time-saving approval process to connect requirements to development tasks and quality assurance testing. As such, you get full traceability throughout the project. AccompaAccompa is another fantastic tool designed to simplify requirements gathering, making it the go-to choice for product managers, engineering teams, and business analysts. The tool has discussion threads, which makes it easier for teams to collaborate and prioritize work. It comes packed with useful features to enhance your documentation process. VisureTeams can use Visure to implement requirements management and requirements engineering. This is a centralized requirements program that’s not only beginner-friendly but also boasts of great versioning features. It lets stakeholders make repeated changes to the same requirement simultaneously, and no, you won’t face any glitch or error, irrespective of how many times your team makes the changes. The fact that it lends supports to various development lifecycle processes like Waterfall and Agile is another plus. The Basics of Requirements ManagementAs discussed before, requirements management is extensive. However, once you get the hang of how things work, things will become better. Below, we’ve compiled a list of requirements management basics. Let’s take a quick look. Determine Project RequirementsYou have to understand your requirements before you can manage them. For this, you’ll have to carry out three steps: Step #1: Needs Assessment Needs assessment is performed to identify the business case and justification behind the product. This, in turn, will help you identify the underlying root causes behind the current situation, as well as the desired future state. Here are two types of analysis that you can try out:
You can choose any analysis you want—provided they help you determine the project requirements accurately. In addition to the above, you should also carry out a stakeholder analysis to determine the people and/or organizations who have power over—or interest in—in a project to identify every stakeholder’s needs. Step #2: Requirements Management Planning Here, you have to create the requirements management plan that will contain all the necessary information to define and manage the project. This can include the following:
Step #3: Requirements Elicitation This is the final step to determine requirements. Map everything from the stakeholder analysis using the procedures formed within the requirements management plan. Moreover, this also involves additional steps like brainstorming, observations, questionnaires, workshops, interviews, prototypes, etc. The main idea here is to understand the different types of requirements and the category that your requirements fit into. Step #4: Requirements Analysis Requirement analysis is mandatory to understand and prioritize requirements and determine the product components to meet them. This is primarily done to create a requirement statement that contains crucial information, including condition, subject, active verb, object, business rules, and outcome. Facilitate Requirements TracingYou can trace your product requirements in two directions: Forward (to the product features and functionality that address the requirement) and Back (to the stakeholder who requested it or the organizational policy that specified it). I highly recommend using a Requirement Traceability Matrix to simplify requirements tracing. This will help you specify every requirement, as well as the corresponding important information with it. Essentially, the matrix serves as the backbone that will track all your requirements and ensure the stakeholders are satisfied with the product feature that satisfies every requirement. Implementing the RequirementsOnce you have the requirement traceability matrix in place, you’ll have a guiding factor for the project’s primary monitoring and control function. However, you’ll have to consult the matrix regularly to ensure the product is developed optimally to satisfy the requirements and keep the stakeholders happy. What’s more, requirements can change mid-project. This can get very annoying very fast as it’ll result in scope creep and potential budget and schedule overruns. In such cases, you must make a point to actively manage these requirements so that everyone is aware of the new developments and that the end product includes them. Top Tip: You can link your requirements management to the project scope and change management for better results. Solution EvaluationThe whole point of having a solution is to ensure it satisfies the stakeholder requirements. Naturally, the last step of requirement management is to evaluate whether the solution (or product) has been able to satisfy the determined requirements. For this, you’ll have to consult the acceptance criteria and go through product testing records. Finally, the stakeholders will validate the product through demonstrations and user testing before giving you a final report about the solution’s success. 5 Tricks for Requirements ManagementRequirements management isn’t easy. But there are a select few techniques that can help you simplify the whole process to ensure better results. Utilize Collaboration ToolsEvery conversation must be visible to all stakeholders to keep them in the loop about the latest developments. This way, all changes will be pushed out faster, without having to remember whether a developer who started last week is on the mailing list or not. You see, an internal website for requirements and product management information lets you reach your audience more effectively, especially when compared to emailing documents to your stakeholders. It’s better to manage requirements in a central location where all stakeholders have easy and immediate access to everything related to the project. Get the “Perfect“ Notion Out of Your HeadMost of us fall prey to the notion of being perfect. However, what we fail to realize is that doing something is better than nothing. Teams end up getting paralyzed by the process and analysis rather than delivering the working software. Now, we aren’t saying that optimizing your process is wrong. You should constantly tweak your process to minimize errors. The thing is, if you have a better process with no product, you won’t have anything to show to your customers. After all, working software is the primary measure of progress. You should start small, identify a few critical requirements, and constantly improve it where you can build, reflect, refine, and repeat. You’ll learn more about your customer needs with every release cycle, after which you’ll be able to improve and expand upon the software solution to deliver them. Wondering where your team stands when it comes to getting work done? Look for these symptoms to know whether your team is prioritizing the process over the product:
Get As Specific As PossibleIt’s no secret that successful requirements management begins with good requirements. But to get good requirements, you need to get specific and eliminate any ambiguity. You can create visual reminders to help you avoid using ambiguous terms when writing requirements. For instance, instead of saying ‘fast,’ specify the minimum acceptable speed to perform a specific action. Or define how the system handles exceptions and responds to unexpected conditions instead of using words like ‘robust.’ Include Models and Wireframes to Your RequirementsTry to use wireframes or mockups with callouts as a supplement to your requirements. This can help you with projects which involve enhancing existing interfaces. Wireframes with brief text descriptions are easily readable, helping you convey a large amount of information rather effectively. If you want, you can also include detailed descriptions of wireframes and mockups in your user stories before publishing them on your internal product management website. Practice Prioritizing ObjectivelyDevelopment time is incredibly valuable. You shouldn’t waste time building features that your customers won’t actually use or those that don’t provide value to your company. But how do you ensure this? Through prioritizing requirements effectively. The fact that requirements prioritizing happen subjectively is another issue. When you hold a meeting, it’s often the person with the loudest voice who wins. Or a salesperson might make a sudden request after speaking to a customer, which may become top-priority. Think about the following questions to prioritize requirements:
All in all, you must avoid the common pitfalls of building features that are for vanity-sake or something that you think a customer might need. via Quick Sprout https://www.quicksprout.com/requirements-management/ Want to jump straight to the answer? The best video conferencing service for most people is definitely RingCentral or GoToMeeting. I consider a great video conferencing service to be critical for any business--especially in this day and age. Whether you have remote employees, clients, prospects, or team members across multiple locations, you need video conferencing software that you can depend on. Tools like Skype or Facetime aren’t robust enough for companies. They lag too often, can’t handle groups well, and are a pain when setting up meetings. If you’re ready to take your conference calls to the next level with video, you need to read this guide.
I’ve already done all the research and heavy-lifting to help you choose the best video conferencing service for your business. Regardless of your company size, industry, or conferencing needs, there’s definitely an option for you below. The 8 Best Video Conferencing ServicesOf the dozens of options available, there are really only eight solutions I would recommend to a business owner. In no particular order, those are:
As I said, these video conferencing services are in no particular order and all have their pros and cons. Use the in-depth reviews below to compare them. RingCentral – Best video conferencing service with VoIP business phone plans
RingCentral is our top choice for video conferencing. That’s because they go beyond video conferencing services. They also offer VoIP business phone services. You can get rid of your traditional phone plan too. RingCentral provides video conferencing features as an added bonus. You can always purchase RingCentral Meetings as a standalone product. Those plans are below: Free — $0 per month
Essentials — $14.99 per month per user
Advanced — $19.99 per month per user
The free plan is actually pretty decent if you compare it to others on the list. While you’re capped at 40 minutes per meeting, you can still have up to 100 participants. At the same time, the paid plans are also limited to just 100 participants, which is low compared to the competition. However, you can add-on larger meeting options to your plan for an upcharge. RingCentral also has great enterprise solutions. You’ll need to contact their sales team to get a custom quote. But you can save some money by bundling RingCentral Meetings with a VoIP business phone. GoToMeeting – Best video conferencing service for small businesses
GoToMeeting makes it easy for you to turn any video conference into a highly collaborative workspace. As such, it’s a top choice for remote workers and clients alike. Everyone from sales managers, to business owners, to IT teams use it. A big reason why: GoToMeeting easily integrate with the systems your business is currently using. They also offer an all-in-one hardware and software kit for those of you who want to transform your physical conference room into a digital one. This hardware is more advanced than the built-in cameras, microphones, and speakers on your current devices. Some other top features and benefits of using GoToMeeting for video conferencing include:
Unlike the other platforms that we’ve reviewed so far, GoToMeeting has just two plans for you to choose from:
The plans are very similar. GoToMeeting offers unlimited meetings and unlimited meeting durations with both options. You’ll also benefit from things like Salesforce integration, Slack meeting launcher, and an admin center with each. The biggest difference between Professional and Business is that they can host up to 150 and 250 participants, respectively. In addition to more participants, the Business plan gives you access to transcripts, keyboard and mouse sharing, unlimited cloud storage, and mobile cloud recording. I think it’s a no-brainer to sign up for the Business option instead of Professional. The added benefits are worth the extra $5 per month. GoToMeeting does offer enterprise-grade plans for up to 3,000 participants. But those prices aren’t available online. You’ll need to speak to a sales rep for a custom quote. Save 16% on your GoToMeeting plan with an annual contract. You can try GoToMeeting for free with up to 250 participants for 14 days. ClickMeeting – Best video conferencing service for webinars
ClickMeeting is a bit different compared to some of the other video conferencing services that we’ve reviewed. This platform has a specific standout: webinars. It’s a great option for those of you who want to hold large online events, market your products with video demonstrations, and host online courses or training sessions with live video. They also traditional video conferencing solutions for team meetings and business collaboration. However, if that’s all you need, I’d look towards the other options on this list. Their pricing is complicated too. There are two plans that depend on how many attendees you have. Here’s an overview of those price points per month for each plan: Live
Automated
For video conferences with more than 1,000 attendees, contact the ClickMeeting sales team for a custom enterprise solution. You can try ClickMeeting free for 30 days and run webinars with up to 25 attendees to try it out. Save up to 20% off your with annual billing instead of a month-to-month contract. The Automated plan is your best option for broadcasting professional video webinars. This plan comes with advanced features like auto-streaming to Facebook or YouTube, automated follow-up emails to attendees, Google Analytics integration, and certificates of attendance. As you can see, ClickMeeting is definitely pricey compared to the other options on our list, which is why I wouldn’t recommend it for just basic video conferencing use. But the price is worth it if you’re planning to use the webinar features. Zoho Meeting – Most affordable video conferencing service with basic features
Zoho Meeting is arguably the most straightforward video conferencing solution on the market today. There isn’t a bunch of bells a whistles. Just one plan for video conferencing. Pricing is simple; it’s $10 per month per user, or $8 per month for an annual contract. The plan comes with everything you need in a video conferencing service. However, it’s limited to just 100 participants per meeting and storage of up to 10 recordings. This isn’t enterprise-grade software by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s an affordable and suitable choice for lots of small business owners. Some of Zoho’s top features include:
You’ll also have the ability to switch a presenter, give someone control, and remove users from a video conference. As expected, Zoho Meeting integrates seamlessly with Zoho CRM. So if you’re already using a Zoho product, this will be a top option for you to consider. This isn’t the most feature rich video conferencing software out there. But it’s a high-quality solution for small business owners who just need basic features and already utilize Zoho products. Microsoft Teams – Best video conferencing service for internal communication
Teams is an instant messaging service with video capability, offered by Microsoft. The platform is designed specifically for internal communication in the workplace. With chat, audio, and video capabilities for group sizes of 10 or 10,000, Teams is the ultimate in-house communication solution. Slack is a direct competitor of Teams. But Teams shines with its superior technology and video conferencing features. However, the setup, usage, and onboarding are a bit more complex. So just be aware of that ahead of time. Teams is best when it’s accessed from a desktop device or web app. There is a mobile app, but overall the web version is easier to navigate. Here’s a quick overview of the plans and pricing:
Both paid plans are only available with an annual contract. The Free plan and entry-level paid plan both have a limit of 300 users, while the Office 365 E3 option is unlimited. You’ll still have access to quite a few features with the free version, including video calls. But you’ll need Office 365 Business Premium to get the most out of this software. Paid plans have 140+ app integrations, 1 TB of storage, scheduled meetings, meeting recordings, and administrative support. The biggest downside of Teams is that it’s limited. It’s not really a true video conferencing service. Instead, it’s better for one-on-one video meetings or smaller groups. If you want to host large-scale video conferences and make presentations to clients, you should look elsewhere for a more suitable solution. Zoom – Best video conferencing service for scalability
>> Compare Quotes Since launching in 2011, Zoom has quickly become an industry leader in the video conferencing space. The software is trusted by large businesses like Ticketmaster, Uber, Pandora, and GoDaddy, to name a few. Where Zoom shines is its simplicity. They have a plan for businesses of all shapes and sizes, including a free option. Zoom has video conferencing capabilities with up to 1,000 participants, and up to 49 videos on the screen simultaneously. The platform is secure, with role-based user security options, password protection, and waiting rooms. Zoom makes it easy for your team to collaborate with screen sharing, filing sharing, and other interactive features. Zoom is modern, so naturally, the service can be accessed from a mobile app as well. This is perfect for participants who are on the go and unable to reach a computer for a meeting. Here’s an overview of Zoom’s pricing model: Basic — Free
Pro — $14.99 per month per host
Business — $19.99 per month per host
Enterprise — $19.99 per month per host
As you can see, there is a plan for everyone. The free option is an excellent choice for an entrepreneur or freelancer who only needs to video chat once in a while for brief meetings. Beyond personal use, you’ll need to upgrade to the Pro or Business plans to get the most out of Zoom. Fortunately, Zoom makes it easy for you to scale to another plan as your company grows. Just be aware that your plan will impact the level of customer support you receive. To get premium support, you’ll need to upgrade. Join.me – Best annual contract for video conferencing services
>> Compare Quotes Join.me offers solutions for individuals, teams, and businesses. From startups to Fortune 500 companies, Join.me is a popular choice. It’s also incredibly easy to start and use. The signup process is as quick as it gets. There’s no need to consult with a sales representative or get a custom quote. Just visit their website, and you can start a call in minutes. To start a new video conference, simply invite others to “join” your meeting (hence the name). You can invite people via email or with a custom link. With Join.me, you can customize the video conferencing background, customize the URL, and share your screen with just one click. You can invite people to your meeting even if they aren’t already using the Join.me platform. Here’s an overview of the plans and pricing options: Lite — $10 per month per user
Pro — $20 per month per user
Business — $30 per month per user
Note: The Lite plan does NOT include video conferencing. As such, I highly recommend you go with the Pro plan. It’s also worth noting that all plans are offered with an annual contract only. Month-to-month plans are unavailable. However, you can try Join.me free with a 14-day free trial. Compared to other options on the list, Join.me is a bit limited in terms of meeting participants and the number of video streams per meeting. But it’s a fine option for those of you who won’t need more than ten simultaneous video streams per conference. Webex – Best video conferencing service for cloud collaboration
>> Compare Quotes Cisco is a brand name that’s synonymous with superior business technology. So it should be no surprise that Cisco Webex ranks so highly on our list for video conferencing software. With Webex, you can host massive virtual events with up to 100,000 participants and run an interactive webinar for 3,000-person audiences. Webex is perfect if you need to run on-demand training lessons for large groups as well. This is a great tool for onboarding employees at scale throughout multiple locations. The Webex mobile app is another standout feature of the platform. Hosting and joining meetings are both simple and accessible from anywhere. Arguably the best part about this video conferencing software is the cloud collaboration features. It’s easy to share files and screens with other meeting participants to stay organized and make the conference more interactive. That’s what makes them great for teams. Cisco offers four different plans for you to choose from, including a basic free option. Free — $0 per month
Starter — $16.95 per month per host
Plus — $22.95 per month per host
Business — $32.95 per month per host
At first glance, the Webex prices appear to be higher than Zoom. However, you can save 20% per month with an annual contract. It’s also worth noting that the Webex Plus plan doesn’t have any host minimums, and the business plan has just a five license minimum. Zoom has a 10 and 50 host minimum for their plans at similar price points. So Webex will be a better option if you want those business or enterprise-level features for a smaller team. How to Find the Best Video Conferencing ServicesCompare Quotes From The Best Video Conferencing Services Get matched up with a video conferencing service that fits your specific needs. Compare Quotes
Now that you’ve had a chance to review the top solutions on the market, how can you find the best option for your unique situation? This is the methodology that I used to come up with this guide. I’ve identified each feature set that matters the most and why you need to take it into consideration when you’re evaluating prospective platforms. Conference SizeIn the world of work from home and distributed teams, video conferencing sizes are a very important consideration. Make sure you choose a service and plan that can accommodate the number of people you need for your video conferences. You don’t want to overpay for a plan that has participant limits that you’ll never reach. But more importantly, you don’t want to be in a situation where your participant list is too large for your platform and plan. Meeting LengthWith the global pandemic putting a ton of people into remote work, businesses and schools need to be able to take as long as they need for certain calls. That’s why we took a close look at how long each plan allows you to meet when determining this list. Often, they had to be counterbalanced with how many participants are allowed in a plan as well. After all, a plan that offers unlimited time but with only a dozen participants might not be helpful for larger teams. Scheduling OptionsGood video conferencing tools allow you to schedule easily and across a wide breadth of calendar apps. When looking at scheduling options, see if they integrate with common planning and calendar services such as Google Calendar, iCal, and Office 365. Video StreamsYou might be able to have a large number of participants in a conference, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that every user will be able to broadcast a video stream. For example, RingCentral plans have up to 100 participants per meeting, but limit you to just ten simultaneous video streams. So don’t be swayed by the participant limits alone. Always check to see how many users can actually stream a video at the same time. Collaboration ToolsCollaboration tools are crucial for groups and teams. Features like screen sharing, built-in chat, file sharing, and cloud collaboration are very useful for presentations and group projects. It’s also helpful when a video conferencing service integrates with existing tools and platforms that you’re already using to run a business. You can look for features like Salesforce integration or Google Analytics integration. ConclusionTake your virtual meetings to the next level with video conferencing software. What’s the best video conference service on the market? The answer depends on who you ask and what you’re looking for. Here’s a quick recap of the platforms reviewed above.
Based on this guide, I’m confident that you can find the best choice for your business. No matter how unique your situation might be, these options can accommodate your needs. If you are still not sure which one is right for you then complete the short form below to compare the best solutions further. Compare Quotes From The Best Video Conferencing Services Get matched up with a video conferencing service that fits your specific needs. Compare Quotesvia Quick Sprout https://www.quicksprout.com/best-video-conferencing-services/ I highly recommend WP Engine. It’s a great web host that’s perfect for WordPress users. Finding the best web hosting provider can be confusing—but if you’re an experienced WordPress user WP Engine should definitely be on your shortlist of web hosting options to consider. In fact, WP Engine ranks high on my list of the best web hosting for WordPress. This is the hosting provider that we use here at Quick Sprout, and we love it.
If you like reliability, great service, and an optimal experience for WordPress, this is the way to go. I’ve reviewed all of the different WP Engine plan options. I’ll also explain why WP Engine stands out as a top web host, and cover any potential drawbacks as well. The Benefits of Using WP Engine Web HostingBelow are all the upsides to using WP Engine as your web host. There are many more, but these are probably the biggest reasons you should choose it. Risk-free trialWP Engine is pricey when compared to competitors. But that price is well worth it for their amazing service. But we get it: You want to save as much cash as possible. To get the best possible rate, you need to commit to an annual contract. Some of you might be hesitant to commit for so long at a high rate. Fortunately, WP Engine has a 60-day risk free period for their hosting plans. If you’re not happy with the service, you can opt-out and get refunded. 60 days is double the standard guarantee for most hosting providers in the industry. Furthermore, the fact that WP Engine offers this is a testament to how they feel about their services. They wouldn’t offer it if they didn’t think you’d be satisfied. That’s reason enough to give them a try. If you like reliable WordPress hosting with a ton of great tools and features, you’re going to be glad to stick around after the trial. Transparent pricingI love the fact that WP Engine’s pricing is straightforward and transparent. That can’t be said for the majority of web hosting providers in the industry. It’s pretty common for hosting providers to advertise really low rates but only apply them to 36 or 48 month contracts that are prepaid in-full. Then when those contracts expire, the renewal rates will double, triple, or even quadruple. WP Engine doesn’t do that. Your price remains the same even after your contract is finished. You can get two months free if you prepay for a year, but they’ll never force you to commit longer than that. Outstanding serviceAs a managed WordPress hosting provider, WP Engine really stands out amongst the competition in terms of its service. This more than justifies the cost in my eyes. You won’t have to do anything aside from running your website. The team over at WP Engine will maintain everything at the server level, including the security. WP Engine has hundreds of employees on their support team as well as on their outreach and development team. Other providers with less than 30 employees just can’t match that level of technical support. You’ll never have to worry about updates, security, your tech stack, or server optimizations. All of this is handled for you. The 24/7 live chat with every plan is a huge bonus as well. 24/7 phone support also comes free with every plan except for the Startup option. As a WP Engine customer, I’ve been impressed with the quick and informed responses whenever I’ve reached out to the support team. Strong performanceA web host is only as good as the performance of your website. This is definitely not an area where WP Engine falls short. Each plan has more than enough resources to accommodate the appropriate website sizes and volumes of traffic. This translates to high uptime rates and blazing fast loading speed. Since their hosting solutions are built for WordPress, everything is optimized for peak performance. Other hosting providers with cookie-cutter hosting for any CMS just can’t deliver as well in this area. SecurityThe the world’s most popular CMS comes with its own set of problems. In fact, as of 2019, 90% of all hacked sites run on WordPress. That number is up from 83% in 2018. But WP Engine goes the extra mile to protect your site at every level. They block more than 150 million attacks per day. One of the reasons why WordPress sites get hacked is because their software isn’t up to date. You won’t have to worry about maintaining these updates manually. WP Engine will handle it for you to ensure that old software isn’t making your site a target to malware. Developer friendlyWP Engine is one of the most developer friendly hosts out there. That’s what makes them so popular with people with a little more technical knowledge. They provide easy and automated on-click setups for faster deployment. You’ll also benefit from an integrated DevKit for the WordPress framework. This translates to smoother launches and fluid maintenance.
And these are just a handful of the developer-specific benefits provided by WP Engine. Other ConsiderationsWP Engine isn’t perfect. So before you sign up for one of the hosting plans that we’ve discussed above, there are a few drawbacks and other considerations that you should keep in mind. Not for beginnersI do not recommend WP Engine if you’re new to web hosting or WordPress. If this is the first website that you’re launching from scratch, you should look elsewhere. For the price, you can do better with another provider. But WP Engine definitely isn’t trying to appeal to everyone with their pricing structure. This web host is made for pros and experienced webmasters. The developer-friendly tools and benefits are worth it if you know what you’re doing and how to use them. Businesses that are established and running on WordPress already should consider switching to WP Engine if they aren’t satisfied with their current hosting plans. High entry-level pricingAs I’ve mentioned a few times already throughout this review, WP Engine has high prices compared to the competition. Starting at $30 per month, the entry-level plans are ten times higher than some of the alternative hosting options out there. So if this is out of your price range, you can check out my guide on the best cheap web hosting to find another provider. With that said, it’s worth mentioning again that WP Engine doesn’t spike their rates when your contract renews. If you’re comparing entry-level plans, the rate may not seem significantly higher when you factor in the renewal costs and hidden fees charged by other hosts. However, once you get beyond the Starter plan, the price points aren’t even in the same ballpark as other shared web hosting options. WP Engine is expensive. WordPress specificThis should be pretty clear, but I had to mention it to ensure there wasn’t any confusion. If you’re not using WordPress, you can’t consider using WP Engine as a hosting provider. This alienates anyone who is using another CMS to run their website. Overage feesI briefly mentioned this earlier, but I want to talk about it in greater detail. The WP Engine plans have traffic limits. Normally, a web hosting provider will tell you roughly how much traffic your plan can accommodate. If you go over that number, it will impact the performance of your website. But WP Engine has a different approach. Rather than throttling down your website resources to hurt your performance, they simply charge you extra for exceeding your limits. Depending on your plan, you’ll pay an extra $1 to $2 per every 1,000 monthly site visits over your limit. This can be costly, considering the drastic jumps of traffic limits between plans. For example, let’s say you’re on the Growth plan, paying $115 per month for up to 100,000 monthly visits. As your business grows, you may start getting 200,000 visits per month, which would cost you an additional $200 per month. At that point, it would be more cost-effective to upgrade your plan, even though you still aren’t coming close to the 400,000 limit on the next tier. The structure of these overage fees could force you to upgrade to a higher plan from the beginning in order to avoid these extra charges. Compare WP Engine Web Hosting PlansWP Engine offers four hosting plans:
All plans come with more than 35 StudioPress themes, 24/7 chat support, free site transfers, an SSL certificate, and a global CDN. Below you’ll find an in-depth review of each plan that includes the price, features, and benefits. StartupHave a small blog or website? Expecting less than 25,000 visitors per month? Go with the Startup hosting plan. It comes with all of the basic hosting features that you should need to accommodate you. The Startup rate is $30 per month. But if you prepay and sign up for an annual contract, you’ll get two months for free. Your website will have 10 GB of local storage and 50 GB of bandwidth per month. This is pretty good if you compare it to other entry-level hosting plans on the market. It’s a basic plan with straightforward pricing, but WP Engine gives you the option to add-on some extra features during the checkout process. While they may sound appealing, you can skip these. I really can’t justify the additional costs for an entry-level plan. A small personal blog with under 25,000 visitors won’t need these extras to run smoothly. If you’re going to spring for anything, the enhanced site security would be my only recommendation. GrowthThe Growth plan is a big jump from Starter. But it comes with features and tools to justify it. The plan starts at $115 per month. It includes hosting for 10 WordPress sites, 100,000 monthly visits, 20 GB of storage, and 200 GB of bandwidth per month. These features make the Growth plan an appealing option for growing businesses. Another big difference between the Startup and Growth plan is the level of customer support. With Startup, you’re limited 24/7 live chat support (although that’s still good for an entry-level hosting plan). But Growth also comes with 24/7 phone support. So this is a huge bonus for those of you who would rather get on the phone and talk to an agent as opposed to chatting online. Even if you’re only expecting 40,000 or 50,000 monthly visitors, you’ll need to upgrade to the Growth plan. WP Engine charges overages for exceeding monthly traffic limits, but we’ll talk about that in greater detail later on. ScaleAs the name implies, the Scale plan is made for websites that have scaled beyond the limits of other plans. For $290 per month, your plan can accommodate 400,000 visitors per month. You’ll also get 30 GB of storage, 400 GB of bandwidth, and hosting for 15 websites. Those are enough resources to keep your site running smoothly even with increased visitors and traffic surges. The features included with the Scale plan are actually pretty comparable to the Growth plan. So the major difference is really just the ability to accommodate more traffic and the extra resources to support it as well. This plan is best for large websites and WordPress users that want to host multiple sites on one plan. CustomWP Engine offers custom plans for enterprise-level websites. With up to 1 TB of local storage and 400+ GB of bandwidth per month, the custom plans can accommodate millions of monthly visits to your site. Here’s a side by side comparison of the plans to put this into perspective for you. As you can imagine, only a small percentage of websites would be interested in the custom plan. For a higher price point, the plan comes with some free extras that are normally paid add-ons for the other plans. These extras include WordPress multisite, GeoTarget, and content performance. To get rates for the custom pricing solutions, you’ll need to get in touch with a WP Engine sales specialist. They’ll work out the details with you to figure out how much resources your website needs. ConclusionWP Engine is arguably the best managed WordPress hosting provider on the market today. But it isn’t for everyone. If you’re an advanced WordPress user, or if you’re a seasoned pro looking to get the most out of your WordPress website, I highly suggest WP Engine. However, it’s pretty pricey. The high entry-level pricing isn’t worth it for new or small websites. I wouldn’t even recommend the Startup plan because it’s so basic. I’d only consider using WP Engine if you were ready to sign up for the Growth or Scale plans. However WP Engine delivers world-class service if you do sign up. As a satisfied WP Engine customer, I’m happy to recommend this web host to you as well.
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Sean BrianWhile radishes deter certain insects naturally, they require similar growing conditions as carrots. Although the crops both have roots, radishes grow and germinate quicker, allowing carrots to continue growing in the soil space available when the radishes are harvested, Archives
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