Improve your SEO for free

Lately we’ve been talking a lot about SEO here at Bevtek. 

And it seems like there are some questions about what SEO is, and what can be done to improve it.  First up… 

What is SEO?

Q & A: How much should you be spending on your IT?

Our first post in our Q & A segment!  

“I’m moving to a private practice.  Confidentiality is an issue, and we need our network to be secure.  We don’t have the need for an on-staff tech person, but want help getting set up.  Any advice?” 

Four ways to get more out of LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a powerful networking tool for your business.  It connects you with professionals from every field, and every corner of the globe.  And best of all – its free!  What follows are some quick ways to ensure you are getting the most out of your LinkedIn efforts.

Data storage

This week’s post was inspired by coffee.  And not in a good way. 

I was sitting down at the computer, ready to upload my work.  I keep some temporary files on a portable USB storage drive.  You’ve seen them – holds 8-24 GB of data while still conveniently sized to fit on a key chain.  Or in your pocket.

Or in a cup of coffee.

Which is where mine fell.  As you can guess, my post was gone. 

This happens more often than you think.  And not always because of coffee.

Home network security: don’t neglect it

It’s easy to leave the IT worries at the office. 

Information security is a threat at the workplace.  And you’ve taken steps to handle it.  You have a dedicated server.  Firewalls are in place.  You’ve invested a lot of money to make sure your information is safe.

Good for you.

But what about the work you do from the comfort of your own home on your personal laptop?  Does that work involve confidential client info?

How secure is your home network?

How to write web content that works

The following is a guest post provided by Andy Duchow – a freelance copywriter specializing in web copy.  He maintains a professional site at greenbaycopywriting.com

 

Make your website content work for you

Most businesses have a website.  But how well do they work? 

How well does yours work for you?  Does it get you the results you want?  If so, then by all means skip this post. 

If not, then read on…

What follows are some guidelines to help you make sure your site content is as effective, and user-friendly, as you can make it.  First up:

Managed service – an ounce of prevention

What exactly is “Managed Service”?

Managed service is an arrangement where you turn over all the day-to-day operations of your IT operations to an outside service provider.  They monitor your networks and servers (often 24 hours a day / 365 days a year) and handle any necessary updates and repairs to your system.

Why?

Servers need to be maintained and monitored.   Software needs to be updated regularly.  The server needs to be kept virus free.

The concept behind this is that a little prevention goes a long way.  It is much less expensive to fix a little problem before it develops into a big one. 

The server – good for your business

What it is

Basically a server is a computer configured to share its resources and run applications for other computers on a network.  A server does a number of things:

• It stores all your company data in one central location that can be accessed by anyone who shares the network.

• For larger companies with multiple printers and fax machines, it allows you to centralize those functions.  Instead of having each computer connected directly to the specific printer or fax machine, they connect to the server.  The server then connects them to the relevant printer or fax.

• It stores and manages company software.  Employees with access to the server network can access these programs from any location.  You no longer need to install applications on every individual computer.  This also simplifies updates. 

For any business with more than two computers, the benefits of having a dedicated company server far outweigh the costs.

Cloud computing pros and cons

Today I want to talk about cloud computing, and help you get a better idea if it is right for your business.

What it is

Cloud computing is basically a big room of servers that rent storage space to off-site users.  They act as “virtual” servers for other users.

Cloud computing would be better termed “remote file storage”.  The cloud company accepts responsibility for storing your data.

This is how it works:  Someone offers to lease space on their servers to a company. That company then treats the “cloud” server as they would an actual on-site server.

How to choose a quality IT service

A common way people make their service provider decisions is through the use of references and testimonials.  To this I say:

Weigh what you read.

No one is going to give a poor reference or testimonial.  Even if they would, a business won’t use it.  A better way is to ask questions.  Here are some to get you started: