Is HVAC Software Suitable for Small Businesses?

Small businesses struggle to manage their limited resources. Before investing in any solution, you must determine the value it adds to your business. Software solutions are a big thing in the modern arena, and as a business, you need to ensure you are picking valuable options, not just going with whatever pops up and seems trendy. If you’ve been considering HVAC software, it is a great addition to your business. The right HVAC software can take a significant load off your shoulders and enhance efficiency.

Managing a few technicians and clients might not be overwhelming. Nonetheless, as your small business starts to grow, the spreadsheets can get quite messy. A process as undemanding as onboarding a new technician can knock you off balance. You can automate most of your daily activities with HVAC software and easily manage technicians, customers, and inventory. HVAC software is suitable for small businesses, but the answer I not that straightforward. The bottom line is picking software in line with your needs. Among the pointers to help you choose the right HVAC software includes:

Ease of Use

You might be tempted by sophisticated software. However, such a solution, including flashy features, can overwhelm your processes. This beats the logic you are considering the software in the first place. You want software that makes the processes more manageable, not a hassle. If navigating the software takes considerable skills, your team will take time to get used to it, affecting productivity. Easy-to-use software is the go-to. This allows you to integrate the software and get going with little or no downtime. Since you can easily navigate the solution, you’ll be better positioned to get the most out of it, realizing the many potential benefits it has to offer.

Features

The best HVAC software providers offer a free demo. Don’t shy away from running a trial run, especially if you are not certain about the features your HVAC business needs the most. Most solutions include standard features such as billing and invoicing, customer management, and scheduling and dispatching. Such inclusive software means you don’t need multiple solutions for your business. Nonetheless, don’t assume that each offers such features. A robust HVAC CRM solution, for instance, can significantly streamline customer interactions, manage leads, and even automate marketing campaigns, freeing up valuable time for your team to focus on core service delivery.

Some excel in certain areas, and with a demo, you can establish if the HVAC software is the right fit for your business. Establishing areas you are struggling with and picking software to address them improves your productivity, making it a suitable option.

Scalability

Will the HVAC software grow with your business? Hopping from one solution to the next is inconvenient and can be costly. Nonetheless, you don’t have to be stuck with an option that hardly meets your growing needs. Looking beyond your current situation as you pick a solution is essential. A growing technicians’ team, more customers, and inventory, among other considerations, can easily be managed if you pick salable HVAC software, keeping your operation running with less or no friction.

Integration Ease

Will the HVAC software integrate with your existing solutions? If you have to scrap your existing software, perhaps even hardware, you are in for a tough ride. Considering your existing infrastructure allows you to pick HVAC software that’ll cause little or no pain during and after integration. This means that you won’t have to waste valuable time, downtime that can cost your business customers or more costs to bring in the additional hardware.

Look beyond the price tag while weighing HVAC software’s suitability for your small business. Go for value, allowing your business to realize the many benefits the best HVAC software delivers as you tap into the lucrative industry.

What is ERP Software And How It’s Useful

For those of you who haven’t heard of the term ERP before, below we will provide you with some essential information. So what does it represent, or What is Enterprise Resource Planning? ERP or Enterprise Resource Planning is the process of collecting and handling business data from numerous sectors by utilizing particular software.

Namely, this software provides institutions with an integrated, real-time perception of their main business processes, easily accessible through a single centralized system. All in all, ERPs can be defined as tools employed by numerous organizations to simplify their business operations, such as accounting, supply chain, human resources, customer relationship management, e-commerce, and risk management.

These are just the basic information regarding the ERP software. If you’re interested to learn more about it, including its advantages, then just keep reading and you’ll gather all the crucial information.

Huge Benefits Of ERP Software

Enhanced Productivity

According to many ERP software connoisseurs, one of its key benefits is automation, ranging from marketing automation to invoice generation. This allows workers to be a lot more effective and productive and focus on different areas, and at the same time, makes sure no process is being neglected.

Additionally, by having a central repository attainable by all sectors, an ERP eliminates the need for tiring and overwhelming manual processes, for example, repetitive data entry across several systems. You’ll quickly notice that the precision of your data will enhance as well!

Decreases Expenses

Of course, this highly depends on the solution. Generally speaking, ERP software can cost somewhere between a few hundred dollars, up to $100,000. What matters is the fact that this software is truly worth every penny.

Now, on the market, you can stumble upon a variety of different ERP software, one is the NetSuite ERP software. But what is so great about it? Namely, it enables companies to focus on their business without worrying about how they will operate their ERP.

Besides that, NetSuite helps consumers enhance their flexibility and efficiency and encourages entrepreneurs to work on their functionality and prioritize real-time business insight with this software. Bear in mind, that the faster you get the desired insight, the better.

Why did we mention NetSuite in particular? Well, because not only it’s currently one of the best software on the market, but it is also very affordable which is something that every business owner appreciates. This type of software will save you money in the long run. 

Now, let us return to the subject. Generally speaking, with practically every ERP software, you’ll be able to reduce your costs, due to the fact that this program lets you input it only once and then carry it over to other sectors in real-time. 

Furthermore, you can also simplify tiresome tasks, for instance, invoice allocation, report drafting, employ payroll, which can definitely save you lots of time and allow you to focus on more important obligations. 

It’s worth mentioning that if you spend more on different systems, than you normally would on centralized ERP, you might even be able to save on IT expenses overall. Keep in mind that utilizing one system also decreases training requirements for end-users since they’re supposed to be learning only one system.

Enhanced Planning & Resource Management

This software really does effectively enable planning across your company so you know exactly how to predict your expenses, sales, and the resources you need, whether that includes people, materials, equipment, or anything else.

Moreover, it offers a thorough insight that allows you to efficiently plan production schedules and simultaneously, foresee resource needs, which is extremely important, because when you’re able to predict numerous crucial things, such as equipment maintenance, then you can decrease production delays or unplanned downtime.

What Are Other Major Advantages Of ERP System?

Enhanced Collaboration

Another very important trait that can certainly positively impact every company is the fact that this software effectively connects teams, and enhances communication and overall employee engagement.

Furthermore, with this software, every approved worker has on-demand access to all operational data, which enables them to comprehend all of the business’s moving parts and the role they have.

Real-time project updates, along with decreased silos further enhance the efficacy which leads to cost savings, as well as better workflows. Remember that the collaboration capabilities expand outside the wall of a particular company in order to connect with some of the most crucial partners.

Regulatory Compliance

In every single industry, especially the one that revolves around food & beverage, there are various legislations and requirements that are continuously changing. If a certain firm fails to comply with them, it can seriously jeopardize many aspects of it.

On top of IFRS and GAAP compliance, enhanced solutions, such as Sage Intacct and Acumatica, can also help with training, reporting, paperwork, accuracy, security, and process control, which all play a major role when it comes to meeting regulations. 

Furthermore, with the help of the ERP systems, you can tackle various types of regulatory compliance, such as:

  1. Government Regulations
  2. Trade Regulations
  3. Business and Finance
  4. Labor Regulations
  5. Information Technology
  6. Industry Compliance

Improved Accuracy And Availability Of Information

This is an advantage that must definitely be mentioned since it is one of the most important ones because it affects various aspects of enterprise resource planning. Namely, high-quality ERP software allows efficient and centralized collection, storage, and processing of information regarding sales, production, consumers, sales, and many other things.

That’s precisely why a single data system is utilized and maintained instead of using a variety of separate databases that require regular checks and synchronization to eliminate duplicate or outdated records.

Moreover, the enhanced quality of all types of internal data, mixed with its availability to the employees in all crucial sectors, is a precious feat that leads to performance optimization in all areas of the company. Especially inventory management and supply chain is the activity that experiences the most benefits from the ERP software.

Enhanced Data Security

Another great benefit that the ERP system offers is data security. Namely, this system has control over who can view and alter sensitive data. Merging info into a single repository shore up security in comparison with scattered sources on different systems.

Unfortunately, these days, a lot of companies are experiencing issues with security breaches that can cause some serious expenses, which is why it’s of huge importance to implement ERP software if you want to make sure your data is being secured. 

Most importantly, enhanced data security is going to help your firm with regulatory compliance and built-in reporting functions that can help you decrease auditing expenses.

Complete Visibility 

This advantage of ERP is for sure one of the most crucial selling points for this software. Namely, it enables total access to every single essential process within your company by developing data from every sector easily accessible to both your senior management and you.

For instance, with the help of ERP software, you can easily supervise inventory levels on a daily basis, including future deliveries that you’ll be receiving in the near future. By knowing exactly where you stand when it comes to inventory levels, you can efficiently control the working capital on a more accurate level. 

Furthermore, the availability of all important information about your business in a centralized location leads to enhanced collaboration and simplifies the completion of all duties and tasks. Additionally, this visibility offers more coherent workflows.

All of this helps you make much smarter decisions, as you won’t have any doubts that you are seeing a crystal clear picture at any moment. 

Improved Customer Relationships

Employing an ERP system on Salesforce enables integration with the Salesforce Customer Relationship Management platform, significantly extending the visibility you have over every single operation that occurs within your company.

What’s great about it is the fact that every consumer information from personal data, to purchase history is stored in a single place and goes straight to the ERP system with the goal to improve the customer experience.

If you decide to use both CRM and ERP, you’ll be able to automate consumer services, such as payment notifications for current customers. Besides that, you can also supply the marketing and sales team with much more useful information to help them close a sale. Below, we’ll enumerate the major benefits of the ERP system when it comes to this:

  • Simplifies invoicing and accounts receivable
  • Close the books quicker at the end of every month
  • Decreases invoicing errors and billing with the goal to accomplish a better consumer experience
  • Puts consumers in the driver’s seat with customized portals and dashboards
  • Connects sales, product, and finance teams for alignment on product offering and accessible income streams
  • Provides easily digestible data to every member of your team by using real-time dashboards
  • Produces global financial reports by employing embedded analytics

Gives You A Competitive Advantage

Business owners who decide to start implementing this software will quickly realize that it gives them relevance among other businesses. When you enhance productivity, use automation, acquire real-time information on finances and eliminate bottlenecks from the workflows, you will get more money, and at the same time, gain more recognition from your employees, colleagues, clients, partners, and stakeholders

And all of this leads to making more informed business decisions and also having a company that truly runs like a properly-oiled machine.

Implementing An ERP Software In Your Company

How To Properly Implement The ERP System?

Now that you’ve realized how essential an ERP system is, it’s also crucial to understand different ways you can implement it in your company. Remember that just like with many other things, there are right and wrong ways you can do it. Below, we will talk about some steps that must be taken into account to be sure you are doing everything perfectly:

  • Map out various divisions of your business – This can be defined as the most important step when it comes to implementing the ERP software in your company. First, you must figure out which department of your business is going to employ it. Bear in mind that every firm works differently and that ERP that you can find on the market can vary, depending on the type of company you have. Therefore, it’s of huge importance to map out numerous sectors of your organization, so you can figure out which ERP system is most suitable for you.
  • Opt for the ERP program that comes with the best features- During this step you must be extremely careful. As it was mentioned above, this program can vary depending on the organization it’s intended for, hence, there’s no such a thing as the best ERP software for every single company. Instead, you should opt for one that perfectly matches the demands and needs of your firm. In order to make the smartest decision, acquire software that is loaded with high-quality features that can hugely benefit your organization. 
  • Seeking professional help is always recommendable – Even if you think that this is something that you can do all on your own, it’s always advisable to talk to someone who has way more experience when it comes to this. Just keep in mind that if you talk to a professional you will streamline everything regarding setting up and training your employees to employ the ERP program. Namely, these experts have a plethora of experience in this field and know exactly what you’re supposed to do if you want to properly implement this system for your company. In these types of situations, having a professional by your side is always welcome because you can never predict whether you’ll be experiencing any problems or obstacles on this journey. As was mentioned multiple times above, ERP systems cannot be defined as “one size fits” tools, which is why you must consult someone who is familiar with every single feature that it offers so you can take advantage of it the right way.

There’s no denying that ERP software is more than beneficial for every company out there, but just like with any other software, you must first get yourself familiar with everything it offers in order to use it correctly. 

What Makes Your Windows 10 Insanely Slow

If your Windows 10 is getting slower, you’re obviously looking for ways to fix the problem. Fortunately, not only IT specialists or tech-savvy people know how to speed up Windows 10. In fact, anyone can do it so you can get your PC or laptop to run as quickly as it should be. 

Besides, you should not suffer from a slow computer. Here are 5 possible reasons why your Windows 10 runs slow (plus solutions, yep):

Old Drivers

There’s a reason why Windows 10 always requires updates – it is to make your PC faster. Installing the latest version of Windows 10 will improve your desktop’s performance. During the update, the PC will search for the latest drivers to speed up everything. 

If you want to check for updates, here’s what you should do according to Microsoft: 

  1. Click the Start button. 
  2. Select Settings. When the window pops up, choose Update & Security, then Windows Update.
  3. Select Check for Updates.
  4. If you see “You’re up to date,” you don’t need to update your windows. If the status shows as “Updates are available,” click Install now.
  5. Choose all updates available for installation. 
  6. Select Install
  7. After the update, you need to restart the PC to see if everything’s going smoothly. After all, Windows 10 will prompt you to restart it once the installation finishes. 

Your PC has been running for a long time

The reason to restart your PC is that many of us keep it running for several days or weeks. In fact, Windows 10 will automatically set the display to sleeping mode once the PC runs for several days. However, the previously open apps will continue to run, which eventually slows your computer. 

You can shut down your computer by clicking the Power button when it comes to this point. Note that before turning off your computer, close all running programs. Also, save any work you have been doing before shutting down your computer. Afterward, you can turn on your PC again. It should be running smoothly by now. 

Unnecessary programs

In point of fact, if your computer takes time to start, several programs are slowing down the process. These unnecessary programs continue to run in the background, consuming your PC’s RAM storage. Here’s what you can do to fix the problem:

  1. Type Task Manager on the Search Button
  2. Then, choose Startup.
  3. If you see several programs, you don’t want to run during the startup, right-click them, and select Disable

Programs running automatically at startup

Some programs start automatically as soon as you open your computer. You immediately see them in the notification area located at the right of the taskbar. These programs might be slowing your computer, especially if you don’t use them often. 

To prevent slowing down of your computer, choose Show Hidden icons when clicking the icon to see all start-up programs. 

However, some programs might run automatically even after you click the Show hidden icons in the notification area. Here’s how to find other programs and stop them from starting automatically. 

  1. Click Start.
  2. Choose Settings, then Apps > Startup
  3. In the Startup Apps, choose the program you want to start automatically. Set it Off
  4. Finally, run system maintenance. 

System maintenance will allow Windows 10 to scan updates and check for malware through its built-in utility. This system maintenance runs in the background while your computer is idle. However, if there’s a problem with the system maintenance, you may conduct it manually. 

When running maintenance manually, access the Control Panel. However, save the files you’re currently working on and close them before doing it. Once you’re in the Control Panel window, choose System and Security > Security and Maintenance. Then, click the arrow icon to show more maintenance options. Then, click Start Maintenance. 

Full storage

Once your computer is loaded with applications, programs, and files, it will slow down. Most computers have a traditional hard drive. If your computer has it, you need to upgrade to a solid-state drive (SSD). 

SSD can improve the speed of your computer in many ways you can imagine. It’s like a USB flash drive that is way faster. With an SSD, your Windows will start and boot faster in a fraction of time. 

Because of this, most tech-savvy individuals usually recommend buying an SSD to others since it’s the most important thing you can do to speed up your PC. In fact, it’s even better than buying a new computer with a faster processor. 

However, if you want to buy a new computer, avoid buying it with a RAM of less than 4GB. This amount of storage won’t help your computer to run efficiently. Use more than 4GB and add another memory to improve the performance of your PC.

Conclusion

There you go. These tips will surely make your PC even faster than you can imagine. Luckily, anyone can do it independently, as long as you conduct careful research.  Secure the latest updates, delete unnecessary programs, and buy SSD for faster performance. Finally, don’t forget the essential step – restart your PC. 

These 6 Useful Software Can Simplify Business Functions

In business, time is money. The faster you can complete a task, the more productive you and your team can be. That’s why using software to simplify common business functions can be so helpful. From invoicing to accounting to customer relations, there are programs out there that can make your life easier. Here are six of the best.

1. Software For Human Resources Management

Human resources management can be a time-consuming task, especially for larger businesses. The software can help by automating many of the most common HR functions, such as tracking employee vacations and sick days, managing payroll, and creating performance reviews. Such software will be providing HR support for businesses by automating different processes and functions. Additionally, a number of these software products offer additional features, such as online filing cabinets for storing employee records and tracking HR communications.

2. Invoicing and Accounting Software

Invoicing software can automate the process of creating invoices and issuing payments. This type of software can be especially helpful for businesses that do a lot of billing. It can save time by allowing you to create invoices quickly and easily, and it can help you keep track of payments received and outstanding invoices. Accounting software can make it easier to manage your finances by automating many of the tasks involved in bookkeeping. This type of software can help you track expenses, income, and bank balances, generate reports on your financial activity and prepare your taxes. Many accounting software programs also offer features such as online banking and bill payment, making it easier to manage your finances from one place.

3. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software

CRM software can help you manage your customer relationships by tracking customer contact information, sales history, and support requests. This type of software can be used to create and track marketing campaigns, send out automated email or direct mail communications, and generate reports on your customer interactions. Sales CRM software can also help you manage your sales pipeline and keep track of opportunities.

Consider a situation where a salesman needs to access your CRM software while on the go. Several CRM software programs offer features such as contact management and task tracking, which can help you better manage your customer relationships. Additionally, many CRM software products offer integration with third-party applications, such as accounting and invoicing software, which can make it easier to manage your customer data.

4. Project Management Software

Project management software can help you plan, track, and manage projects. This type of software can be used to create project plans, assign tasks to team members, track progress, and generate reports. Project management software can also help you manage resources, such as budget and materials. Additionally, many project management software programs offer features such as task lists and to-do items, which can help you stay organized and on track. The benefits include automated project management for the business by creating, assigning, and tracking tasks for team members. A project manager will use this software to more efficiently delegate tasks and monitor the performance of employees working on the project.

Free Project management software can help you plan, track, and manage projects.

5. Marketing Automation Software

Marketing automation software can help you automate the process of creating and managing marketing campaigns. This type of software can be used to create and track email campaigns, social media campaigns, and direct mail campaigns. Additionally, marketing automation software can help you generate leads and track their progress through the sales pipeline. Additionally, many marketing automation software programs offer features such as contact management and task tracking, which can help you better manage your customer relationships. The many benefits of such software include the ability to automate marketing tasks and better track the success of your marketing campaigns.

6. Business Intelligence Software

Business intelligence software can help you make better decisions by providing insights into your business data. This type of software can be used to generate reports on your sales, customers, employees, and finances. Additionally, business intelligence software can help you track key performance indicators (KPIs) and create dashboards to visualize your data.

Additionally, many business intelligence software programs offer features such as data mining and predictive analytics, which can help you analyze your data and make better decisions. The benefits of business intelligence software include the ability to make better decisions by analyzing your data. Use the Tableau to Excel integration to schedule exports of data from Tableau views to your workbooks. Extract Tableau data to Excel automatically at a set frequency to optimize your collaboration with stakeholders.

Using software to automate your business tasks can save you time and money. It can also help you be more efficient and organized. When choosing software for your business, it is important to consider your needs and budget. There are many different types of software available, so it is important to select the right one for your business. By using the right type of software, you can improve your efficiency and productivity, making your business run smoother and more efficiently.

3 Best Shopify Dropshipping Apps (All You Need in 2022)

The e-commerce industry is witnessing an unprecedented boom as customers increasingly invest in online shopping. In such a competitive market, it is difficult for small and medium-sized enterprises to offer a variety of products to their customers. Dropshipping helps companies address the challenges involved in providing customers with a seamless online shopping experience without limiting the number of products available. Shopify dropshipping apps offer a number of features and options that make them stand out.

What Is Shopify Dropshipping

Shopify is one of the most popular shopping cart software applications in the e-commerce industry, especially for merchants in the U.S. and Canada. The main aim of Shopify is to create a ease of use and simple, stylish online store front for online businesses. Being a cloud-based platform, Shopify helps its users to maintain and run their online stores from the technical aspects, including hosting and site security. You are only responsible for designing your site, adding content, and fulfilling orders.

If you choose to use Shopify for delivery, your business operation will be further simplified. By following the dropshipping model, you essentially outsource the entire fulfillment process to your suppliers. When a customer places an order on your site, instead of picking, packaging and shipping the product yourself, you send the order to your supplier. The supplier will then deliver the product you ordered with the information of your customers’ directly to your customer. The product will never pass through your hand.

3 Best Shopify Dropshipping Apps

There are the 3 most-used dropshipping apps on Shopify and you can choose from the 3 to scale your dropshipping business in 2022.

1. DSers ‑ AliExpress Dropshipping

DSers – AliExpress Dropshipping is one of the top-rated dropshipping apps in Shopify’s app store. DSers offers revolutionary dropshipping solutions that allow you to process hundreds of products on AliExpress in seconds. This dropshipping tool helps you find new products and gives you exclusive access to special suppliers for better prices and higher product quality. It allows e-commerce companies to place unlimited orders to help them grow their business. DSers AliExpress Dropshipping also provides tutorials on how to effectively operate this Shopify Dropshipping application to help users better understand the platform and maximize sales.

1. DSers - AliExpress Dropshipping

Rating: 5.0 (6,000+ reviews)

Features:

  • Bulk order
  • Basic mapping
  • Supplier Optimizer
  • Manage 3 different stores & 3k products
  • Automated order status sync
  • Automated Tracking NO. sync
  • Sync Tracking NO. to PayPal

Pricing:

  • Basic – Free
  • Advanced – $19.90/month
  • Pro – $49.90/month

2. Fulfillbot-China Sourcing & Dropshipping Agent

It is a sourcing agent, Just like its name Fulfillbot is a one-stop sourcing solution site from china.

they take care of product sourcing in China, quality control, order fulfillment, warehousing, packing, and shipping to you or your buyer.

Features:

  • Product Sourcing
  • Fast Order Fulfillment
  • Real-time order tracking

Pricing:

  • Free

3. Oberlo ‑ Dropshipping App

Another of the best Shopify dropshipping apps is Oberlo, which was one of the first apps to feature an automatic product synchronization system on the Shopify platform. Oberlo is a toolkit to help you start and grow your dropshipping business, especially if you are new to the field, as this application helps you pick products, customize details, and pull them into your Shopify store with just a few clicks. Your supplier will then sort the inventory and send the order directly to the customer without your involvement.

2. Oberlo ‑ Dropshipping App

Rating: 4.3 (2,439+ reviews)

Features:

  • Inventory and prices are updated automatically
  • Real-time order tracking
  • Customize your list
  • Captcha solver

Pricing:

  • Explorer program – Free
  • Boss plan – $29.90 / month

4. Printful: Print on Demand

Unlike other Shopify Dropshipping apps, Printful is an on-demand Dropshipping tool that businesses use to sell custom printed and embroidered products. This is the free Shopify Dropshipping app available on the Shopify App Store. Companies can create personalized designs and add them to any available product, and Printful delivers the product to the customer. Printful customizes products once a customer makes a purchase, which helps reduce dead goods and extra inventory.

3. Printful - Print on Demand

Rating: 4.5 (3,689+ reviews)

Features:

  • Over 200 Products
  • Discounted Shipping
  • Fast Order Fulfillment
  • Design Options

Pricing:

  • Free Plan – Free
  • Plus Plan – $9/month
  • Pro Plan – $49/month

Final Words

Whether you’re just starting out looking for a trusted supplier, or you’ve sold thousands of dropshipping products, finding a good dropshipping Shopify app for your store is always essential. We hope our comprehensive list of different prices, features, and features will help you narrow your choices to find the best match.

This New SaaS API Handles Image Uploading and Resizing

A lot of businesses rely on online spaces, websites, and blogs in order to reach their customers. Regardless of whether it’s a large corporation or a small business, the use of visual imagery and design is essential in order to create a strong brand image, which will inevitably be successful. But creating the perfect imagery doesn’t come easy, usually, it takes a lot of time and energy to produce enough content – especially if the imagery is used on multiple websites and social media platforms. That’s why businesses are seeking easy alternatives to make this process quicker and easier. Here’s how this new SaaS API handles image uploading and resizing, and how this can come in handy for your business!

The importance of resizing images

Images come in all shapes and sizes – sometimes they are perfect, but in most cases, they need altering in order to fit into a certain frame. Regardless of its product imagery, illustrations, stock images, or whatever you are dealing with, alterations are inevitable! Resizing is extremely handy and it can save you the trouble of taking multiple pictures or creating separate pieces, you can use the original with a little altering. But if you are working on multiple platforms and have to do a handful of these alterations, it can get pretty exhausting, not to mention time-consuming. Resizing in bulk is definitely something to look into if you are dealing with a lot of imagery that needs alterations. So having software that can help with this is a must!

What is API?

Not a lot of people are aware of API, but they unintentionally use it every day. Essentially, API is short for application program interface and it’s helping two software work seamlessly. Regardless of whether it’s searching something on your phone or using an app, there is a link that connects everything, and that link is usually an API. As you can see from this Image Upload API guide, it’s not something complicated to understand. Also, businesses benefit from this, especially when using multiple different software -this is quite common, especially if the business is divided by different roles and sections, using multiple different software is inevitable. So communication is necessary amongst that software in order for everything to run smoothly. 

What is SaaS?

Software as a service or SaaS for short is a helpful tool that’s meant to help businesses reach success faster overnight. Its core lies in taking something and turning it into a usable format for the business. The great thing about SaaS is that the price is not set in most cases, it all comes down to the usage. In this case, it’s all about image resizing and uploading, so the amount of storage is directly connected to the monthly price tag. There are multiple ways to pay for this kind of service software, it all depends on if the user is personal like for hobbies, if it’s a scaled usage, perfect for medium storage, or if it’s for blogger corporations with a high level of usage. Also, it’s important to note that the SaaS interface is web-based, so it’s easy to use and good for businesses of all scales. 

Why should you get the SaaS API?

Every SaaS-based company needs to have a good API system first in order for everything to run smoothly. When it comes to running multiple operations at the same time, in order to do it seamlessly there needs to be something that’s going to moderate it. There are also lots of API strategies to choose from, and this can help with the overall workflow optimization not to mention make everything sync up, which is necessary if you want to boost your efficiency. 

Essential features

There is a reason why some businesses can benefit from this kind of thing, especially with a variety of different features that are offered. Not only is this SaaS API uploading images it can resize and edit them, making things that much more efficient for the business. If you are handling imagery for blogs and websites, it can take a lot to go through lots of imagery and size them up or down by hand, so opting for something quick and easy is key. 

Resize, crop, optimize

Alpha transparency, optimization, cropping, upscaling, and cropping – basically, all the essential things to alter any kind of imagery to your liking. With a  little help from AI, you can get precise results and get perfectly cropped and compressed images for your needs. It’s also important to add that multiple different formats are also convertible and optimized, to fit your blog or website! It’s a win-win! 

Boosts performance

Performance is essential if you want to run a successful business, and you don’t want to make your clients wait. Download speed is everything nowadays, so it’s important to have a fast downloading speed, no matter where the users are located! This SaaS API handles this pretty well, allowing people all over the world to get their hands on imagery in seconds. Regardless if you are using imagery for your blog or website, or if you are the link between the customer and a certain image, it’s good to see people being brought together from all over the world because of the utilization of this tool that allies new laws and regulations!

Monitor traffic

By using a SaaS API, you can monitor traffic and storage, which can be a helpful analysis later on.  You can easily see a dashboard with all the needed information, telling you the monthly and daily usage. You can easily see what period is booming, and when is the quiet period and create a strategy with that analysis. This is also extremely useful for identifying trends and optimizing the current strategy – it’s all about finding what users like the most and adapting to it! 

Remote work

Mobilizing the workflow is essential, especially if you are running a small business and trying to push it to a wider range of clients. The great thing about SaaS API is that regardless of what type of platform you are using, using this tool is extremely helpful overall. On the other hand, security breaches are not common, and using SaaS API can actually boost the level of security and provide you and your clients with a safe space. 

Easy to use

If a tool is easy to use and also efficient in multiple ways, it’s definitely a good tool! Whilst things are always adapting and evolving, so is technology! Most SaaS APIs have a clear and precise workplace, especially the interface. The interface is everything, you want to be able to easily handle a tool, even if it revolves around AI, you’ll still need to do lots of things manually. So if someone is unsure on whether or not your business is doing a good job, you at least have a SaaS API on your side to do the work in mere seconds!

Pros

Like with anything else, there are certain pros and cons to consider before getting your hands on this kind of thing. Starting with the obvious, altering images and image extraction is extremely helpful. Some SaaS API types offer more. Especially the paid options, whilst others are a bit restrictive. Not to mention the fees are reasonable, even if you need to edit or upload images in bulk. The fee is depending on the number of images, but even so, it’s much cheaper in the long run. Faster loading and download is also a plus and it’s always welcomed when doing something like this.! An easy interface and quick usage is also another extremely important thing, you want to make sure that your employees are well aware and want to easily work just with this kind of interface. 

Cons

With pros, there are some cons that should be considered. Depending on the size of the building and the number of employees some people might be against using SaaS API for imagery, even if it’s deemed easy to use and something useful. While the price is set in stone at the beginning, it can vary depending on the amount of imagery you need to go through. On the other hand, some SaaS APIs are not compatible with the latest social media platforms and blogs that are using imagery, this can be applied to WordPress and similar software, sometimes it’s compatible and sometimes it’s not. While it is proven to work and it’s good for the majority, these things are still a big deal and it should be considered before jumping into installing this kind of program. 

At the end of the day, this is proven to be a good thing to have, regardless if you are a beginner business owner, entrepreneur, small business, or something much bigger – the imagery is key and it can sell the product immediately by standing out from the crowd. These changes are seemingly sheer and unnoticeable for the users, but as someone who is running the website or blog, it can be extremely important and almost essential to have such a useful program. Utilizing this kind of tool in your routine will only make it better. Especially long term when your business starts to blossom even more! So SaaS API is definitely something to consider!

Using Analytic Dashboards for Businesses

Today, the world is moving towards more and more information. So if you’re going to be successful in your business, then you need to be able to access the target data fast. You need to know what is happening right away – if your competitor is growing and starting to capture your business customers.

But the problem is that if you’re only capturing the information in your company through a spreadsheet or by talking with your employees, you’ll never be able to keep up with your competitors. When you have lots of data coming in from different sources in different formats, it’s no longer possible to just put everything into one system and see how the numbers are progressing.

To address this problem, we are going to dive into business analytics in this post and focus on a specific type of data grid. Thus, you will know how to keep track of your business progress in real-time and transform marketing operations.

The Four Business Analytics Models

To be able to run a business, you should have the information you need. Everything is easy. If you don’t have that data, you won’t be able to make smart decisions. In other words, the more information you can get your hands-on, the better. However, everything should be structured and visualized in a way that is the most comfortable for you. It’s like being an airline pilot. You can fly around in the sky, going back and forth between continents. But if you don’t have the information that you need to get you there, it’s pretty much just a big exercise in flapping your wings.

Using Business Dashboards

One of the most exciting technologies for business leaders today is “the business dashboard,” a real-time data visualization and analysis tool that enables them to quickly get to business insights and spot trends, therefore, improving overall performance.

The business dashboard has come a long way since it was introduced in the early 2000s. New grids have more sophisticated charting and data analysis capabilities. They are able to collect and visualize big data (data beyond those found in relational databases) and track “customer” interactions (from customers visiting a website, for example, to in-person interactions with a call center representative).

Benefits of Using Business Dashboards

A business dashboard is a very important tool for managing, planning, and monitoring business resources. It is a central control station for your operational activities. It provides management with the ability to review, analyze, compare, and forecast business processes and performances in order to improve the efficiency of operations, achieve business objectives and ultimately generate a return on investment. Here are some of the benefits that you get when implementing business dashboards.

  • A dashboard allows you to provide a transparent, visual, and real-time insight into your business operations;
  • Dashboards provide an overview and allow management to quickly and easily access the reports and information needed to make informed decisions. It allows you to view and share all data and metrics in one place, helping to reduce the time taken to access, understand and respond to data and information;
  • A dashboard is a central control station for your operational activities. It provides management with the ability to review, analyze, compare, and forecast business processes and performances in order to improve the efficiency of operations, achieve business objectives and ultimately generate a return on investment;
  • A business dashboard allows business users to easily monitor business processes from a central location. It is a centralized repository of information about your business. The data is usually stored in a relational database; however, there is a growing trend for companies to use a NoSQL database and even to host the data on a virtual server;
  • A business dashboard lets you provide management with a high-level view of current and historical operations by displaying an accurate representation of the business data. The reports generated by a dashboard can be used to collect useful information about the state of the business;
  • A dashboard may be viewed as a performance chart that is used to measure performance and monitor progress. The dashboard is also used to forecast the possible outcomes of different variables.

All in all, a business dashboard is more than just a fancy name. It’s a tool you can use every day to run your business efficiently. When you get into all the ways it can benefit your business, it will feel as though you’ve just created the best part of your business by adding a few small yet powerful tools. You don’t have to wait until next week for your business dashboard to start saving you time and money.

How Can A Lawyer’s Office Use Modern Technology To Improve Its Performance

Lawyers are under a lot of pressure to stay up to date with technology to provide the best possible service to their clients. While some larger firms may afford to have a dedicated information technology (IT) staff, most smaller firms rely on their lawyers to be tech-savvy. In addition to helping lawyers stay connected with their clients, modern technology can also help lawyers stay organized and efficient.

Here are some ways that a lawyer’s office can use modern technology to improve its performance:

1. Use Cloud-Based Storage and Software

Cloud-based storage and software allow lawyers to access files and applications from any computer or mobile device with an internet connection. Most legal firms use Clio for solo practicing lawyer software to make their lives easier. This can be helpful for lawyers who need to work from home or on the go. In addition, cloud-based storage can help lawyers save money on office space and hardware. One benefit of cloud storage is that it can help lawyers securely store and share confidential files. For example, a law firm could use a cloud-based storage service to share case files with opposing counsel.

2. Use Online Conferencing Tools to Meet with Clients

Whenever a client gets into legal disputes, they need a lot of engagement to understand their rights, especially those not conversant with the law. With the help of online conferencing tools, a lawyer can easily have face-to-face meetings with their clients from anywhere in the world.

Many online conferencing tools are available, such as Skype, Google Hangouts, and GoToMeeting. These tools allow lawyers to share their screens with clients so that both parties can see the same information.

3. Use Case Management Software

As the legal tech landscape continues to evolve, solutions like personal injury case management software provided by CloudLex are transforming law practices across various fronts. Case management software can help lawyers manage their caseloads more effectively. Also, the software can track deadlines, client information, and billing information. This information can be accessed from any computer or mobile device. Many law firms prefer using cloud-based software to manage their cases. These programs allow lawyers to create pleadings, invoices, and other legal documents. Lawyers can also use these programs to keep track of their billable hours.

4. Use a VoIP Phone System

VoIP phone systems allow lawyers to make calls over the internet. This can be helpful for lawyers who need to travel or work from home. VoIP phone systems are also more affordable than traditional phone systems. This does not only come in handy for lawyers but also their secretaries, paralegals, and assistants. Imagine a situation where a lawyer is in court and needs to hold their secretary. With a VoIP phone system, the lawyer can easily make a call from their cell phone without using their minutes.

Law offices should also use an online billing software. This can allow them to keep track of unpaid invoices and native online payments.

5. Use Social Media to Connect with Clients

Social media can be a helpful tool for lawyers who want to connect with their clients. The lawyer can use the social media platform to share articles, blog posts, and other legal information. Lawyers can also use social media to answer client questions and provide customer service. 

Firms like Cooley law firm use Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to connect with their clients. LinkedIn is beneficial for lawyers who want to build their business. It’s relatively cheap and easy to create a LinkedIn profile and start networking with other lawyers. Lawyers have to make sure that they are using the most up-to-date privacy settings to protect their clients’ information.

6. Use Online Legal Research Tools

Online legal research tools can help lawyers find information about the law quickly and easily. They can use these tools to research cases, statutes, and regulations. The most popular online legal research tools are Westlaw, LexisNexis, and Fastcase. These tools are also learning materials that keep you up-to-date. 

Online legal research tools can help lawyers research cases and statutes. These tools are available for free or for a fee. Lawyers can also use these tools to find contact information for court personnel and other lawyers. 

7. Use E-Signature Software

E-signature software allows lawyers to sign documents electronically. It also helps them save time and money. E-Signature software is also more secure than traditional signing documents, such as faxing or mailing. 

It is beneficial when a lawyer needs to sign a document quickly. Many law firms use e-signature software to sign contracts, pleadings, and other legal documents. e-signature software is available for a fee or for free. Some popular e-signature software programs are Jotform Sign, Adobe Acrobat, DocuSign, and RightSignature.

Lawyers who use modern technology can improve their performance by staying organized and connected with their clients. In addition, they can save money on office space and hardware costs. By using the tips listed above, lawyers can provide the best possible service to their clients.

Need to Make a Powerpoint Presentation? Here Are Some Useful Tips

Powerpoint presentations are one of the most effective tools you can use when in need of presenting a new project to your colleagues, or maybe you’re a student and have an exam or seminar.

Whatever the case, with this useful tool you can easily present your ideas, categorize them slide by slide, and make the whole experience visually pleasing to your audience. So, therefore, if you want to further upgrade your “game”, here are some useful tips on how to make it even more appealing, or if you never did one, here is how to. 

Make Sure the Font Is Right

When making a presentation, you want to make sure the letters you use are in the appropriate font. Depending on the type of presentation, and the type of statement you want to make, the choice of the proper letter font. For more serious meetings, you’ll use maybe Ariel or Calibri, or when you have to highlight a newspaper article, Times New Roman is maybe more convenient. This also applies to school work and student projects. Another piece of advice we can give you when it comes to presentations is choosing the right background, meaning using the template which will emphasize the content the most. People often make the mistake of putting a dark template and not changing the color of the letters, often resulting in zero visibility of what they wrote. Avoid these amateur mistakes, and make sure the template is not distracting. Also, make sure to write less and say more, meaning make the sentences short. They are essentially there to summarize the most significant aspects, providing concise definitions rather than entire textbook passages.

Slide Master 

The slide master feature is one of the most useful tools you can have on a presentation, as PowerPoint actually allows for several different options, like two separate columns, or maybe even a bulleted list. It allows for a better background, depending on the need. Sometimes you can use the two separate column features when you have to highlight the contrasting parallels between two things, or you can easily make it text/image as the feature also allows you to put one. This choice is more than beneficial for a presentation and a better visual presentation of your message. It will appear more professional and demonstrate you have put more work into it.

Make the Transition between Slides Smooth

In an attempt to make the PowerPoint presentation more appealing and more interesting, people often use different features like the jump or fly-in feature between slides. The transition might be useful when you are presenting in front of little children, who’ll find it amazing, but when it comes to serious projects in front of colleagues or students at college, avoid these as it seems unprofessional. Make sure it is smooth, meaning less flashy and more serious. This also applies to the use of sounds, animations, and other similar comic book-like features available. Although there is a place and time for them, overusing them will distract your audience from the content and make them focus on the animation instead. Therefore, be careful with these items and make sure to incorporate them into the presentation when necessary. 

Make It Coherent

One thing to have in mind when making the presentation is being coherent. Meaning- the fewer slides the better, and make sure the content appears on the slide in a consistent fashion. PowerPoint allows for the appearance of lines slowly or gradually with every click of the mouse. This amazing feature is perfect for building audience anticipation and hiding parts of the text you are not going to refer to right away. This also means that every line has to be coherently linked to the previous, so if you are thinking of making a little digression, do not use this feature. Referring back to the previous phrase, if you have a lot of slides, your audience is likely to lose patience and focus, so try to condense all you want to convey into a few concise and effective slides.

Use this guide to help you orient yourself and navigate through your information in a non-distracting manner for those who are listening. PowerPoint has the feature of jumping from the front to the back and back again to the front, so there is no need for every single one of them when searching for that piece of text. 

The text on your slides is there to remind you of the most important bits, therefore do not be the kind of guy who reads from the slides, especially as everyone else can do that in their head. The points you make are there to be like a little note to yourself, you are the one with the “actual” content, not the slides. We hope your presentation will be a true success. 

Four Productivity Enhancing Tools Many Businesses Are Still Not Utilizing

In an increasingly competitive environment where the number of businesses operating in most sectors is growing, and everyone is chasing a shrinking pot of consumer cash, good productivity is essential. Often, it is what makes the difference between a business being competitive and profitable, or failing.

 Enhancing your productivity gives you an edge, which is usually enough to enable you to out-compete even large competitors on price. While at the same time improving the quality of what you offer your customers. A winning combination, which results in higher growth and profit. As well as creating a more robust business. One that is agile enough to adapt to even the most challenging changes in market conditions. You can start your own business by getting an LLC in Georgia.

The tools and software we talk about here are all designed to help you to improve productivity. None of them are particularly expensive and we have chosen tools for which there is plenty of support, including user-generated how-to videos.

Process Mapping Software

Let´s start with what is possibly the most productive tool – process mapping. It takes time to map and tweak your processes. But it pays dividends. Once you have mastered the skill you will find it easy to do it for anything new you do in your business.

Using a process mapping tool like Gliffy or Visual Paradigm enables you to see the workflow involved in everything you do. The steps that need to be taken to achieve important tasks, which are what makes a business tick. When you start mapping those processes out, you quickly see where valuable time is being wasted. Often, you will be able to drastically simplify your processes, which will make everyone much more productive.

There are paid tools out there, but the free ones like these do a good job. Use this guide to gain a better understanding of what process mapping is, its benefits, and how to do it. The guide is designed for any type or size of business to use.

It takes time to map and tweak your processes. But it pays dividends. Once you have mastered the skill you will find it easy to do it for anything new you do in your business.  Leveraging the right technology can streamline operations and improve client engagement, making it an indispensable tool for productivity and growth.

Project Management Software

Project management tools like Monday, Trello, and Asana are invaluable. Even if you are running a small company, using one has benefits. It keeps everybody accountable as well as organized. A lot of businesses start using project management tools when they are making big changes. For example, for a refit or to develop a new product or service. Usually, they also end up using it to control day-to-day processes. If you want to know how it works and read some case studies, click here.

Data Syncing Tools

For any business data analysis is vital. Any firm that is not gathering, collating, and analyzing its data is leaving a lot of money on the table. For example, it is now possible to display in-store adverts using digital display screens. Which ad is displayed when is automatically tracked and the data is saved in a format that enables it to be combined with the sales data for the item that is being advertised. It is a really easy way to identify which ad formats convert and which don´t. It´s one of the reasons that the use of retail digital signage has taken off so quickly. Especially given the fact that ads that convert well in-store typically also do so when used online. For those retailers that run e-commerce stores as well as physical ones, this is a quick way to measure the effectiveness of ads, which saves them a lot of time and money.

The more automated the data syncing and report production is the more likely it is that a business will be able to use that information. Nobody wants to employ a data entry clerk to pull data together into one place.

Data syncing can also play a role in keeping everyone organized and working efficiently. For example, the software enables people to synchronize their schedules across multiple calendars, devices, and operating systems. This means they do not have to enter meetings into Outlook, then get their phone out and do the same for Android. This takes time and, of course, there is a high risk that they will forget to put it on their phone and maybe even miss the meeting.

CRM Software

If you sell services or use a sales team or leads for attracting buyers, not using Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software is a big mistake. It is all too easy to lose track of where a potential client is in your sales funnel. You do not want your sales team to end up calling them too soon, which could make them feel that they are being pestered. Equally, you do not want a lead to be wasted because someone left it too long to follow up. Using CRM software makes sure this does not happen. In the process, this greatly increases the effectiveness and productivity of your sales team.

The above are just a few examples. There are many more tools that can help improve productivity, including those specifically designed for your sector. So, if you have not explored what is available for a while, it really is worth your while to do so.

4 Tips for Optimizing Your Service Desk

Whether you offer a product or service, it’s essential to provide the clients with fast solutions to their problems. A well-working Service Desk is essential to clients’ satisfaction. How to make it work even better? We’ve prepared some ideas worth considering.

Attracting new customers is hard, but making them stay – even more challenging. There is no secret formula for successful customer retention – it depends on the industry, the specifics of the product and service, competition, and a target group. However, regardless of these factors, one aspect is crucial. It’s the customer service. If it works smoothly, there is much more chance that the client will stay with you for longer. 

Problems happen – what matters the most is how you solve them! Customers can forgive a lot once the technical support is meeting their requirements. Thus, a well-functioning Service Desk is a must. Service Desk is a broader term than Help Desk, which solves the most common issues that occur on a daily basis. Its purpose is to solve more complex problems and use the solutions to improve the service or product in the future. 

How you make your Service Desk work more smoothly to improve customer satisfaction and make the desk processes more efficient?

1. Automate Tasks

Service desk agents solve complex problems that require deep analysis and creative or abstract thinking. In such a case, technology – at least for now – cannot replace human skills. However, some issues are simple enough can be addressed within a few seconds. You can delegate those to the automation tools. We recommend choosing a service desk solution that enables sorting the inquiries automatically. It’s the best way to optimize the workflow and boost the asset management. 

2. Use Automated Ticketing

When it comes to automation, this particular technology really makes a difference. A help desk software powered by machine learning with a function of resolution automated ticketing management allows your agents to focus on more complex tasks without entirely taking over the control. It helps them find the most relevant and explanatory responses. 

3. Use Chatbots (but Wisely)

Chatbots are a great solution if only they are a supporting tool. Letting them take over the customer service may make you lose customers. Many are not the biggest fans of chatbots, even though it’s such a common solution. Avoid the strategy of delegating as many tasks as possible to chatbots and making it harder for the clients to access real-life customer agents. Also, create a complex knowledge base so that the customer can find the answers to the frequent questions without contacting the service desks.

4. Try Video Automation

Personalized videos are a relatively new thing, but it’s probable that soon they’ll become a standard. Even though they’re used mainly in marketing, you can use them for help desk purposes, too. Such a solution is particularly helpful with solving software-related issues. You can adjust its content to customers’ issues, delivering a solution in a visual way. For many clients, it will be an asset. Best help desk software products on the markets enable integration with personalized content platforms.

Link Building for SaaS Companies: The Ultimate Guide

The number of SaaS projects in the world is growing annually. As a rule, all of them have an interesting mission and a great technical background behind the founders. However, after releasing a product on the market, companies often face problems with creating a marketing strategy and SEO promotion.

From this article, you will learn what aspects should be taken into account to create and implement an effective marketing strategy for a SaaS project, bring your company to the top in Google SERP, and get links from niche resources. 

Corporate Structure

Corporate structure needs to be set from the start for a form that is appropriate to your long-term goals. An LLC is more beneficial than a sole proprietorship in terms of taxation and liability. You can also take advantage of tax deductions for LLCs and better liability protection. Forming a C-Corp is both expensive and leads to double-taxation, but it may be appropriate if you need to issue stock certificates to your key managers and staff.

One of the key tasks of an Internet business is to attract the maximum number of potential customers (leads). Effective SEO optimization and a link-building strategy will help bring your website on top of Google SERP. According to Rahul from Kasera, SEO jobs are high in demand, especially with the popularity of e-commerce.

Since COVID started more and more brands are looking for SEO professionals and we have first-hand experience of this working with many brands. Link building (getting backlinks) is a complex of actions focused on attracting referral traffic and website promotion.

Link Building is a difficult task these days as competition is stiff. It will require you to put together a strong, persistent, and ongoing strategy that will require you to put in a lot of time and effort. You know what they say though: anything worth doing is worth doing well! And link building is definitely worth doing these days. (Lindsey Allard CEO and Co-Founder of PlaybookUX)

Instead of buying backlink packages on stock exchanges, quality link building offers a selective and individual approach. Experts in various SaaS companies carefully study the field of activity of their clients and their target audiences, choosing only reliable and effective donors. This allows them to achieve great results in SEO promotion, although the process requires assiduity, patience, creativity, and consistency in action.

Link building can be more difficult for SaaS companies due to the niche nature of the industry and the competition that comes along with a crowded market. (Emma, Marketing Director at Routific.)

Link building is a whole strategy for getting backlinks exclusively from quality resources. The effective system of attracting traffic is almost impossible for competitors to duplicate by adopting.

For SaaS based companies or products/services link building tasks is a mid-level task that is not so easy or tough. Simply, you have to work with patience and reach different websites/blogs related to your Niche on a daily basis for more reach/engagement to get backlinks for your SaaS business. (Joe Smith, iCrowdNewswire)

Before we get into how to build links for SaaS, it’s important to note what kind of links will actually help your website. When you’re looking to build backlinks, avoid content farm websites. Instead, focus on finding genuine SaaS domain websites. This will help ensure that your site’s ranking is not adversely affected by links from low-quality sources. Alternatively, you can look for link building services for SaaS; the right agency would know how to do link building for SaaS.

Link-building for SaaS can be complicated if you don’t have the resources necessary to create useful content. For one, other websites are not going to link to articles or resources that aren’t helpful for their audience – being relevant, informative, and delivering multiple content pieces a month can be an expensive endeavor. And then there’s the other side: most other websites probably aren’t helpful to your domain relevance. Getting links from blogs about cooking or farming will not help your content rank and may end up being a spam signal to Google.  So, essentially, you end up playing in a small sandbox with other SaaS websites competing for popularity. (Victor Antiu, the CMO of Custify)

One of the most efficient link-building strategies for SaaS is guest posting. There are plenty of websites that accept guest posts and give relevant backlinks in return. The main precondition is to have quality content and find relevant websites to contact. SaaS is a bit specific so not every website may link to it, unless it’s really relevant. (Nick, CEO of DataforSEO)

The link building process involves a combination of several strategies as follows:

  1. Outreach involves collaborating with owners of other websites, media representatives, and popular bloggers (influencers). The main activity is focused on establishing contact with the information platforms where a link (to the customer’s website) can be posted in the future;
  2. Crowd-marketing is one of the link-building branches, aimed at working with hidden product placement of a resource or a specific position in the catalog. Crowd-marketing is a form of feedback, social network posts, and comments on blogs/forums;
  3. Submits represent promotion via posted data about the client’s company on external resources. The summary should contain a direct link to the website. There are several types of submits: sites with reviews and recommendations, online directories, and geotags. Submits are ideal for local businesses such as clinics, spas, specialty stores, bars, and restaurants.

The best way to get high-quality backlinks for a SaaS in 2021 and 2022 is to use the Help a Reporter Out (HARO) platform. Big names in the SaaS industry post daily queries there, which allows you to provide them with first-hand information and get your backlinks quickly. My SaaS has been using HARO for 3 years already and gained over 30 high-authority backlinks and good relations with reporters already. (Dmytro Serheeiv Tax Consultant & Co-Owner at https://pdfliner.com/)


You can use services like Majestic and Ahrefs for link mass analysis. The latter should be performed constantly since both temporary and permanent links are used to promote a website.

The best strategy is to develop your site’s presence with high-quality original content and build social media shares and followers overtime before trying any advertising methods (paid or organic). A notable exception would be if you can afford costly SEO packages, including professional-level PR through blogs and social media sharing on top of traditional advertising techniques like SEM/PPC ads. (Emir Bacic, Co-founder of Pricelisto)

Ideas for Content Creation

Before you read the following tips, we’d like to remind you that focusing on content and topics that generate emotion, engage, entertain, and inform your customers is the key to success.

  1. Upload semantics on competitors from Ahrefs;
  2. Divide your product into dozens of mini-products. You can put a mini-tool on the homepage and inside an article, combining it with a how-to guide. Otherwise, you can simply go with h1 and Description. The main value of such pages is that you don’t need a lot of content for ranking;
  3. Build mini products based on other products’ APIs. You can use the same data in many ways. Once you get traffic to the web page, immediately start collecting statistics on conversions and revenue. Not all pages will increase your ROI;
  4. Look for other non-standard ways to use your product. Generate the most impossible ideas of what else the product could be useful for. Look at your competitors in Ahrefs with overlaps in requests. By creating a successful experimental landing page, you can discover another great niche for your product;
  5. Focus on comparisons with competitors (…alternative);
  6. Translate the page into other popular languages (where your product is in demand);
  7. Find the best keyword that Google “likes” the most to get to the top immediately.

Ideas for Content Improvement

Unless you have a solid content strategy template, your competitive advantage will remain low.

Google’s algorithms love good content. So, creating long-form expert content will push you up the SERP. Try your best to make it unique. That means you need a darn good writer who can engage the audience with a new angle on something. If the content is fresh and interesting, you’ll definitely build backlinks. You have to promote it heavily. (Jacques Buffet, digital PR tech lead at Zety)


Creating and advertising content for SaaS product promotion to create links is a challenging task. There are many practicalities to consider, and coordination may be difficult, but the premise is simple: provide material that people desire, and they will connect to it. (Aakhil Karthikkeyan, https://document360.com/

Creating one is a great way to make your customers notice you on the SaaS market. Apart from that, there are a few other ways to improve your website content as follows:

  1. Check every page on your website to see the whole picture. You can run the process in sections if your website is rather big and assign each page URL one of 3 actions: keep, improve, or remove;
  2. Use quality infographics and strict editorial policy. Precise principles of content creation, unified structure and page templates (home, blog post, ‘About us,’ news archive, contact), unified rules for punctuation, paragraphs and indents, headings, bullets, and numbered lists;
  3. Proofread your articles. Find and correct typos, identify errors of lexical, syntactic, and orthographic nature. Check the correctness of hyphenation, headings, lists, bullets. Monitor compliance with the unified design concept;
  4. Make sure your images, pages, categories, and individual posts are 100% unique. Your website images should not just look attractive but also meaningful. Your designer should be able to quickly grasp the main idea of this or that article and convey it in an image. If you find your own photos/images on the web, demand/request link placement;
  5. Expanding content based on analyzing top results in SERPs;
  6. Page load time acceleration;
  7. Breadcrumb navigation for your blog;
  8. Studying user behavior via Hotjar;
  9. Comparison with competitors. The most targeted customers come by such requests (they’ve already used a similar tool but didn’t like something). Make it clear on the page that you are better than everyone (start with the title and h1). Look at the small but growing competitors. As they grow, traffic to your feeds grows too. 

To develop an effective strategy and avoid mistakes, it’s important to analyze 5-10 competitors. You can find them in several ways as follows:

  • Search for the main key phrases, select the region of promotion, and ignore ads. Your competitors will be at the top. This method works for identifying SaaS competitors since services tend to have 1-2 main traffic pages. However, it’s irrelevant for other websites;
  • Check your competitors through Ahrefs. Type your website into the search bar and click “competitor domains.”

When optimizing your website, it’s important to pay attention to the following aspects:

  1. 404 errors;
  2. Image weight;
  3. Page load times;
  4. Duplicate content/pages;
  5. Unnecessary 301/302 redirects;
  6. HTTPS protocol, etc.

Also, do not forget about adaptive design. These days, users spend most of their time on the Internet from their mobile devices. In this case, the time they are willing to use a website, in comparison with going online from a PC, is almost twice reduced. 

Your website should be equally user-friendly and convenient to use both from a PC and smartphone.

Here’s a list of ideas that work for us for generating traffic and backlinks:

  1. Blog comments: Just go to all the articles in the top 50 for your search queries. You can leave comments on quality websites even without links – just mention the name of the domain. The perfect comment will be detailed, demonstrating that you read the article carefully in full and complementing it;
  2. Business listings: Fill out your business profiles to the best of your ability, use your subscriber database for reviews, as well as feedback on your website;
  3. Link exchanges: Put your team members’ contacts and photos on your website. As your traffic and authority grow, you may get requests for interviews and link exchanges. Since you’re linking to other sites in your content anyway, if you’re offered a backlink to a good product, the exchange will be useful;
  4. Broken link building: We tried it, and it didn’t work for us. Alas, in the SEO niche, your found broken links might only get you free hugs;
  5. Google Chrome plugin. Allocate a small but valuable feature in the product with good retention. Create a plugin, carefully verify its title, description, and icon. Translate it into other languages and start driving traffic to the plugin from the website and newsletters. This way, in addition to satisfied users, you will also get one more page of your own; 
  6. Interview bloggers and subject matter experts. Think of interesting questions, write down your conditions (how many links can be placed), provide an offer (why spend time on your interview), find experts on conference websites or Google “best … experts,” “best … blogs,” “… LinkedIn experts,” etc. Start with middle specialists and use social proof once you get to interviewing top specialists.

A great link-building strategy is to create an in-depth report that could be of interest to others. Use numbers you have access to via your platform, relate it back to a larger topic and publish the finished copy on your website. If you do a good job of it and publish a strong piece that covers a topic others will be related to, then you can use it as a way to get links. (Yazan Sehwail CEO and Co-Founder of Userpilot)

A quality interview with a blogger will get you into Google Discover, links from experts’ blogs, links to quotes from interviews, traffic from branded queries, traffic from social networks, and insight into the habits of your target audience.

  1. Help center pages. Write unique and useful content and guide users to the guides from the website and newsletters. Monitor the pages that have made it to the top and improve them further;
  2. Niche blogger reviews. It’s always best to have a few quality reviews. Evaluate websites not only by link profile but also the activity of blog readers (comments), design quality, navigation, etc. Ask for a thoughtful and objective review but talk about your strengths. There may be important features that the blogger won’t notice without your help. Review budget: from $100 to $600 per review;
  3. Freelance exchanges. Create a tool whose data acts as a checkpoint for customers and contractors. Make it clear to customers that they can delegate work to freelancers (you can give a list of exchanges). Create jobs as customers with links to your website and services as performers with links to your website;
  4. Quora. Not all topics are equally important. Use content from the blog but be sure to add your own thoughts. Show that you’re getting into the user’s question. Basic views and clicks will bring in 5-10%. In Google Analytics, you can see the effectiveness of each response (report source/medium, secondary dimension “referral path”);
  5. Facebook. Join all of the related groups. Respond in detail to all your users’ questions (related to your product) on a regular basis. Do not be stingy with words and carefully study their issues;
  6. YouTube. Do one video review of one product. Optimize it considering all aspects, namely: keyword search, title, description, tags, cards, end screen, special splash screen, public accessibility, playlist, email notifications to users who liked the vid, response to user comments, social media distribution, and newsletters. After publishing your video, it’s important to get as many views, comments, and likes as possible in 24 hours (you’ll need this video for business listings);
  7. LTD sites. You can try AppSumo for better sales, increased branded queries (4x or more), and more video/text reviews. You will also get “tough” questions from your target audience who knows products similar to yours, understand what’s critical to fix, and what new features to add. Let alone market change options and positioning;
  8. Live chat. Collect feedback on what users like/dislike about your website, as well as ideas for new products and website pages.

Reclaiming links is an excellent link-building strategy for SaaS companies. It is obtaining links from mentions of your product across different business websites and blogs. When you have an excellent SaaS product, it is highly probable that your app or tool is mentioned on various websites as recommendations from industry professionals and bloggers or cited with good reviews by businesses who use the app or tool. (Sam Dolbel, Co-founder & CEO of SINC Workforce – https://sinc.business/)

You can start reclaiming links by finding your product mentions online by manually searching for them, or you can also use tools that can alert you when you get mentions. Then, obtain the contact information of the blogger, writer, or publisher of the content where your product is mentioned so that you can reach out and request for them to turn the mention into a link leading to your website.”

How Do I Search for Topics?

Almost every landing page has the main keyword in front of it, which is used to “push” it in Google. The same keyword can be used to find topics. You can also use data from the neighboring tab (Search Console) or data from Ahrefs.

Before you search for topics, it’s important to look at the content on the landing page to understand what topics will be the most relevant.

How Do I Choose the Right Topics?

For every landing page theme, there are basically 1-3 of the most valuable topics that are worth the effort. In reality, topics, where you can get a large number of views, have already: 

  • Generated more than 2,000 views in total; 
  • Generated followers (10+ is already OK).

So what you can do? Type in a keyword -> open 10-20 topics in new tabs that seem relevant by their headlines -> choose 1-3 most valuable by the number of views, followers. 

How Do I Create a Response Based on Landing Page Content?

A comprehensive response will provide your users with the following types of information:

  • Exclusive (this is probably the main reason for popularity);
  • Relevant (meaning information that best answers the question). In the first/last paragraph of your answer, it’s important to write text showing that you copied the content from the landing page since it answers the question well;
  • Structured (it’s not only about headings but also bolding key ideas).

In each topic, before you answer, look at the top responses in that topic and make an upvote for the most valuable one – so that there is a natural activity of the account.

  • Check out the following tips and always keep them in mind when optimizing your website: 
  • SEO is just one possible source of traffic;
  • The right SEO strategy derives from the right marketing strategy;
  • If you got traffic, but your SaaS product is not ready yet, try turning to your competitors or experiment with prices;
  • Not all web pages will be good for you, conduct regular assessment of the effectiveness of your website pages, and improve only the best ones;
  • There’s nothing wrong with copying your competitors – copy it but improve it. That’s how all development happens;
  • Remember that your niche competitors don’t cover all semantics.

SaaS Marketing Strategy: Mistakes & Solutions

Here’s a list of common SEO mistakes and solutions to them:

  • Lack of purpose. Understand what you want and why and then create specific results;
  • Lack of strategy. Write a detailed plan with a clear goal, list of activities, milestones, deadlines, costs, and responsibilities. Define reporting metrics;
  • Quantity of leads over their quality. Identify your TA, assess the real interest of users, and focus all your efforts on working with them;
  • Poor website optimization. Check duplicates, page loading time, 404 errors, unnecessary redirects 301 and 302, image weight, HTTPS protocol operation, server errors;
  • Incorrect (or incomplete) assessment of your competitors. Check what and how your competitors do, where their traffic comes from, what content attracts users, and where they promote it;
  • One promotion channel. Use social networks, publications on external sites, remarketing, email marketing, contextual advertising on low-end queries, link building;
  • Inadequate audience management. Consider user engagement when interacting with users;
  • Absence or vague strategy for creating content. Identify topics that are attractive and useful to your visitors, schedule a content plan at least a couple of months in advance;
  • Poor site/content structure. Work out requirements for each page, post, considering even the smallest details. Make sure your site map looks clear. Check your content types (people, products, reviews), content type data (first/last name, position, bio, email, phone number), hierarchical/non-hierarchical taxonomies (e.g. “categories” / “tags” for your blog), and so on;
  • Cancellation of previously posted articles. Update old publications by adding relevant keywords and information.

Conclusion

If you haven’t yet included link building as a core element in your SEO strategy, now is the right time to do so.

2021 is ended and the start of a new year provides an opportunity to make fresh changes to your strategies, the consequences of which you can watch throughout 2022. You need to carefully analyze your site’s link profile, check donor domains, create a link-building strategy, and select trusted donors for linking and optimizing your budget.

Increase traffic, reach top positions in the SERP, and attract the attention of new customers!

What Internet Speed Do You Need to Play PS4 Online Games?

Once you are interested in playing the games on play station, you would probably know that there are a variety of devices out in the market from which you can choose the best one that suits your specific needs and requirements. Even though many online games are available through online app stores, the play station games are a little different from others as the console already has the minimum requirements for playing the games. Therefore, all the games must meet the minimum requirements for playing on the play station platform. Among all other play station devices, the Sony brand play station device requires the minimum requirements for playing the games online.

For playing the games on a PS4 device, you need a download speed of 3Mbps and upload speed of 1Mbps according to today’s standard. This is extremely low, where the average speed of US internet service is about 19Mbps currently. So, any game would run fine when you have the average internet speed at your home; however, the speed of the internet is an important factor when it comes to playing online games.

When playing online games, your internet connection is essential to good gameplay. Of course, your connection has to be safe and secure, but it also has to be fast, especially when playing the games on PS4. Generally, the internet speed gets varied, but the players can still look for a couple of other things to ensure that they are playing the games at the best possible speeds on their PS4 device.

Ping Matters Most with You ps4 When It Comes to Playing the Games

For those unaware of ping, it is nothing but the time it takes to send and receive your information packet to and from the server and usually, it is measured in milliseconds (ms). For example, when you are playing the video games online, ping helps you determine how well your game will play on this current internet speed. When you are having the too high ping over 150ms then you can play the game along with your teammates, and you can play the high quality and resolution online games without any interruption.

Players with too high a ping rate complain about the clipping or lagging into other objects during the online gameplay. Keeping your ping lower is essential to good online games

Connect Your PS4 Directly to the Router – Go Wired

The biggest entertainment to play online gaming is to use the Play Station 4 where is found to be a pretty easy one that helps you to play your favorite online game in the best and efficient way. Having the PS4 connected directly to your router device through ethernet cable will make a huge difference in the speed and playability of the online games where you can see direct results in playing the online game. Not only does the direct ethernet connection reduce the ping and latency where it will also offer you a tremendous effect on your downloading speeds.

Not everyone will be having the same kind of internet speed. Still, when you have the slowest speeds on the internet, it will surely affect your gaming. It is found to be the better choice to have the wired connection to the PS4 where you will be getting the uninterrupted internet connection without a drop in the speed of your internet. So, if you want to experience the best online gaming on your PS4 device, it is best to have the PS4 connected directly with your router to enjoy the gaming mode without delay in the internet speed.

What Is the Best Internet Speed for Gaming?

Compared to all other equipment, your internet connection’s speed makes a huge difference in your online gaming experience. Whether you are playing the huge file size of the online video game that holds a wide variety of gaming characters, high resolution, and higher system requirements and internet speed, it becomes essential to have the high internet speed for enjoying the gaming experience. Having the 1Mbps of upload speed and 3Mbps of download speed is considered a good internet speed where the network devices also impact your gaming experience. Moreover, choosing the higher internet speed gives you the ability to transits more amount of data that offers other kinds of network constraints that hugely impact your gaming.

If you have a high ping rate, you can play multiplayer games well because these fighting games usually require higher system requirements. The ping rate makes this possible. Also, be sure to directly connect your PS4 to your router. The direct connection ensures continuous internet traffic without any delay in the internet speed so that you can play online games in the best way using your high-end PS4 device. Nowadays, most players play online games by connecting their PS4 devices directly with the router through the ethernet cable.

How to Get More Performance Out of a Mac

Although Macs are excellent machines that can help you tap deeper into the Apple ecosystem, like any personal computer, they can suffer from performance problems. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to enhance a Mac’s performance.

Step #1 Remove Malware

You may have heard that Macs don’t get viruses, but that’s not true. Although Apple said so in some commercials back in 2006, the first example of macOS malware dates to 2004. Mac malware incidents only grew as more people bought Macs. Here are some recent trends:

  • A 2018 report claimed that Mac malware attacks grew by 270.
  • There were 16 million instances of Mac malware in 2019.
  • The 2020 State of Malware report found that Mac malware threats per endpoint outpaced Windows.
  • Researchers found a dangerous ransomware strain with spyware capabilities called ThiefQuest targeting macOS users in 2020.
  • A mysterious malware named Silver Sparrow hit over 40,000 Macs, including computers using Apple’s proprietary M1 chip.
  • Mac adware incidents grow every year, slowing down browsers and machines.

For the best free malware removal Mac users need, please look for advanced antivirus software that complements your Mac’s security software and doesn’t hog your system resources. In addition to upgrading your cybersecurity software, please also avoid the following Mac malware threat vectors:

Step #2 Upgrade RAM

While it’s not possible to upgrade every Mac’s memory, it’s doable with some models. You should seriously consider a Mac memory upgrade if you only have 4GB of RAM —nowadays, you should have at least 8GB of RAM to run most apps competently.

Step #3 Upgrade to SSD

A solid-state drive is a newer type of storage drive that’s much faster than a conventional electro-magnetic hard drive. With an SSD, your operating system and your apps will load and run more quickly. Another advantage of having an SSD over a traditional hard drive is that it doesn’t have any moving parts and uses electronic circuits to read and write data, which enhances its longevity.

Of course, not all aging Macs can easily support an SSD upgrade. So, please research how to upgrade your Mac with an SSD first.

Step #4 Reduce Fancy Visuals

Although the visual effects in a Mac look nice, they can impact performance. Try to reduce the visual effects by finding the Display option in System Preferences > Accessibility. Unselect the Reduce motion option for a performance gain.

Step #5 Remove the Bloat

Get rid of the programs and processes your Mac doesn’t need that use precious resources. Go to Activity Monitor in Utilities and examine the processes. Consider removing unnecessary programs that take up a significant percentage of CPU time. By removing the bloat, you may speed up your Mac within minutes.

In addition to the steps listed above, restart your computer periodically. A reboot can clear errant processes in the memory and refresh your machine. Ultimately, you may need to buy a new Mac if none of the tips give enough of a performance lift. Remember to purchase right after a product refresh to get the most value for your money.

Best YouTube to MP3 Converter

Hundreds of thousands of films are posted every day on YouTube. Even if there is no download option, viewers can still browse and listen to the content. If you find yourself in this circumstance, it may be essential to download the audio source, but luck is on your side because numerous external downloaders have been around in the past. There are a number of free and premium youtube to mp3 converter available on the internet. Each has its own advantages. An online YouTube converter is the finest tool to convert YouTube to mp3 and mp4.

YouTube to MP3 converter

An online video converter specializes in mp3 conversions from YouTube videos. The MP3 format allows audio files to be exported to a wide range of devices. YouTube allows you to download audiobooks directly to your audio device, cell phone, or iPod. Keeping films and audiobooks on your phone or tablet takes up a lot of storage space. Audiobooks and podcasts have seen a significant uptick in popularity. When driving or traveling, you can hear them well. As long as you have the audio, you can probably do without the visual component of the video presentation. You can download YouTube videos as mp3 files and listen to them whenever you like.

If you’re looking for a standalone service where you can paste the URL of a video and have it convert it to MP3, you can either use an online youtube to mp4 or MP3 converter or a standalone service. When deciding on a YouTube converter, here are some things to keep in mind:

Safety

The best YouTube to MP3 converter can be found online but a reliable converter software is preferable. Ads might be a concern when using online services. In many situations, these advertisements contain malware that might infect your device. Therefore, you have to choose the best online video converter for converting youtube, Instagram, or TikTok videos.

Speed

When it comes to converting YouTube videos, you need an online that can handle large playlists quickly. What is the definition of quick? One minute should be enough time to convert ten videos of three minutes each.

Because it takes so much time to convert, this is one of my least favorite things to deal with. When employing online video converters, a new MP3 version of the video can be downloaded in only a few seconds. Depending on how long your video is, the speed at which it’s converted may vary. These services do not require you to subscribe.

Quality

Among the great YouTube downloader, this one is capable of converting almost any video format to audio. Keep in mind that the quality of the original sound should not be affected when converting.

Downloading Using URL

The user interface’s upper center side has a link field. To begin, copy and paste a URL. Enter the YouTube URL in the box. The format you choose should be based on your needs after conversion, click on the start button, and downloading. There are numerous MP3 files to pick from.

Downloading Is Unrestricted

Multiple YouTube videos can be converted at the same time using online video converters because there is no conversion limit.

Grab Audio From Youtube

Converting a YouTube video to an audio file may be done quickly and easily with the help of online tools like an online video converter. There is no such option on YouTube’s website or app. Listening to electronic dance music while working out doesn’t necessitate a phone. In order to work out without being distracted, you’ll need an offline song stored on your mobile device. Our devices may also necessitate offline access to music, depending on similar circumstances. Youtube to MP3 downloaders allow you to download any YouTube video as an MP3 file. You can listen to it on a handheld MP3 player if you want.

Why You Need Online Proofing Software

Proofing is an essential process of any creative workflow. It allows stakeholders to review and approve a mock version of creative work (the “proof”) without printing or producing the full version of the deliverable. 

However, the proofing process (and the approval workflow in general) is often a significant bottleneck in any creative workflow, slowing down the whole process in general. 

In short, streamlining the proofing process to ensure it’s as optimized as possible is crucial if you want to improve your business’s efficiency and productivity. 

Thanks to technology, however, now we have online proofing as a more optimal method to improve the speed and efficiency of the proofing process, which in turn will provide numerous benefits for the business. 

The Proofing Process

The proofing process originated when printing was invented with the famous Guttenberg printing machine.

Back then, a “proof” is a mock print that a printing company provides to its client for approval. For example, a client ordered 1,000 pieces of brochures to be printed, and in this case, the printing company first printed one brochure as a “proof.”

Only when the client has approved this proof will the printing company start the production of 1,000 brochures, so as you can see, an approved proof prevents potentially costly errors and acts as an approval agreement between the printing company and the client. 

The evolution of the proofing process

With the invention of computers, however, the proofing process has also evolved. With the popularity of home PCs since the late 1990s and early 2000s, a creative agency can now show “soft proof” by showing the computer screen to a client. 

Then, the internet was widely available, allowing us to send image files over the internet. This enables creative workers to send digital proof files via email, and thus the email-based proofing process becomes the standard. 

Online proofing: the key to optimizing approval workflows

Email-based proofing, however, isn’t perfect and has its significant flaws. 

First, different computer monitors might not be color calibrated so that they may produce different colors. Second, is that email is not a practical method when it comes to real-time collaboration and file sharing. 

For instance, if the project has been going on long enough and we’ve shared multiple different files via email, it can be challenging to look for a specific file (version) when it’s needed. Accountability can also be an issue: we can’t tell whether an assigned approver has opened the email and reviewed a deliverable thoroughly, which is another common issue in email-based proofing. 

Online proofing was invented to tackle these issues with email-based proofing. 

An online proofing process uses dedicated online proofing software to facilitate centralized communication and collaboration between creative workers and approvers. 

A graphic designer can share their deliverable on the online proofing system and send a link to the approver. The approver can then click on the link and view the deliverable on the cloud-based online proofing system right away. No downloads and installations are required, then the graphic designer can communicate, leave feedback, and collaborate in real-time on the platform. 

Also, all shared files on the online proofing platform can be easily searchable whenever they are needed. 

How Online Proofing Software Works

While the actual online proofing process may vary with different software solutions, a typical online proofing software will work in the following manners: 

  1. A creative worker uploads a file (the digital “proof”) to the online proofing platform
  2. The creative worker invites other collaborators and approvers by sending an invite link (or other methods) so the other parties can also access the online proofing software
  3. The invitees can join the cloud-based online proofing system without needing to download and install anything
  4. Communications and collaborations can happen in real-time on the online proofing system. Approvers can view files and leave feedback without needing to move to another app or screen. 
  5. When revisions are needed, the creative worker can upload another file (the revised proof). All the different file versions will be stored in the online proofing software. 

With these features, online proofing will streamline the whole approval process while at the same time improving the transparency of the process and accountability of all stakeholders involved in the proofing process. 

Why You Need Online Proofing Software

To really understand the benefits provided by an online proofing software solution, we have to first discuss some of the common problems that happen in traditional hardcopy-based or email-based proofing processes. 

Common issues without online proofing software

  • Frustrating, back-and-forth proofing process, often with endless revision cycles
  • Lack of a centralized platform for communication and collaborations 
  • Lack of transparency and accountability since we can’t monitor who has viewed (or not viewed) the deliverable, leading to potential confusion and disputes.
  • Back-and-forth emails with scattered attachments
  • Need to render/export files before we can send proofs to approvers, wasting time and resources
  • Prone to errors and mistakes due to inefficiencies and manual operations
  • Printed, hardcopy proofs got lost or broken during transport
  • Approvers forgot to review the proof, resulting in missed deadlines

Benefits of online proofing software

An online proofing software solution can tackle the above issues and can provide the following benefits for your business: 

  • Faster and more accurate delivery of your creative projects
  • Reduce or completely eliminate the need of lengthy phone calls and back-and-forth emails
  • Fewer revision cycles due to a more streamlined, optimized, and transparent approval process
  • Facilitating accurate and efficient proofing processes even when your teams are working remotely, including when clients or approvers are located in different cities or even different countries
  • Searchable files, allowing traceable changes on files and versions
  • Reducing errors, improving the overall quality of deliverables
  • Eliminate costs on printing papers, more environmentally friendly

Closing Thoughts

An optimized proofing process can help streamline and improve the efficiency of creative workflows by removing bottlenecks in the approval process. 

An online proofing software solution can facilitate a more transparent and efficient feedback process by offering a centralized hub where all stakeholders of the creative workflow can communicate and collaborate in real-time. 

As a result, the more effective approval process will make it easier for the organization to manage a higher volume of creative production while at the same time also effectively reducing the compliance risks of the product deliverables.