Fancy 3 months free hosting? We all like something free every now and then and what could be easier than referring a friend to Acceler8 Media? If you know someone who could benefit from a new website let us know and we will do the rest. If they come on board, as a thank you, we will give you a three month holiday on your hosting fees. If you send us four referrals that take up our services it would mean your website would be free for a whole year!
T’s & C’s – The hosting refund is limited to the standard monthly payment for a single website and does not include any additional services. Payment will be made once the referred customer’s website goes live. The offer is limited to a maximum of four successful referrals per customer.
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As the owner of a small-sized or micro-business, creating a website for your operations is critical. Even though you are working on a minute scale, all of your clients and prospective clients will likely be internet users. You’re going to need a platform that they can use to learn more about your products and services, inform their purchase decisions, and even complete important transactions. Understanding this, you may be asking the question, “What is a self build website?”. Following are several important facts about these platforms that can help you determine whether or not they’re right for you.

This is a website that you will be building on your own. The good news is that there are a number of companies that have broken down, simplified and streamlined this process. As a result, people are able to create the functional platforms they need for their businesses, even though they might not have a lot of IT knowledge or experience.

Every site needs a hosting service. This is the company that will make your site go live. When choosing a hosting provider, find out about its level of overall reliability. Most companies advertise themselves as having 99 percent uptime or higher, but the reality is that most of their website and services go down at some point. You can read ratings and reviews for these companies to know more about their actual performance and to see whether or not this lines up with their marketing claims.

Many hosting companies offer tools to assist their clients in these efforts, particularly when purchasing hosting packages. In fact, you may be able to find an all-inclusive hosting plan that includes a domain name and many other resources and features that your site is ultimately going to need.

There are also third-party services that offer comprehensive self-build tools for ambitious business owners. These are often the most cost-effective choice given that you will not need to work with any additional providers. You can easily calculate the total upfront cost of these projects.

When using services that specialise in the provision of self-build tools, however, you should know that you will likely be choosing from a very limited range of potential site designs. Even though there will be a number of templates at your disposal, it won’t be long before you run into a website that looks almost exactly like your own.

For company owners with unique web pages, it is generally best to work with web design companies. You are not going to get the same level of originality, aesthetics, or overall site functionality by attempting to do this on your own. Design companies have in-house teams that can handle ever aspect of this process with expertise. Using these entities, however, is going to be far more costly than working on your own.

Another thing that you have to think about when deciding whether or not to self-build is the need for technical optimisation. When sites are coded properly from the very outset, it is much easier and cheaper to optimise these platforms for search engines. The costs of correcting minor coding issues further down the road can be quite high. Moreover, built-in errors can make it much harder for you to get your web pages published at the very top of search engine results.

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There are a lot of ambitious company owners who are learning just how easy it is to take care of the majority of the start-up process on their own. After all, even with a very limited amount of money, it is possible to establish a fully functioning business. This is all the more true if you’re willing to handle the intensely technical process of designing and building your own professional website. There are some very important things to know about website security before getting started.

You can find packages and products that are designed to give you the basic framework for your site so that you only need to customise it to suit your purposes. At a very nominal cost, you can create a functional platform for connecting with your clients, educating them, and ultimately converting them. With a few artful and functional additions, you can also create a secure space for capturing customer payment information.

One thing to know about these packages and products, however, is that they are only secure at their core level of functioning. This is what often gets business owners confused, especially if they have not had any web design experience in the past. Ultimately, this means that when you use these tools, their security is only guaranteed when you opt to start with and maintain the most basic of service options.

As soon as you start adding in new widgets and other attractions and capabilities, new security vulnerabilities will arise. That’s because these additions do not provide the same level of assurance that the basic platforms offer. Although these things can be seamlessly integrated into your design, they do not always arise from the same source and they are not always safe either.

This is a vital consideration to bear in mind when you intend to make your professional site the hub for your business. For instance, if you do not have a brick and mortar location for your company, this may be the only space for actually completing individual transactions. As such, you want it to be as secure as it can possibly be.

When security issues do exist, there are certain ways that customers and prospective customers can find out about them. As an example, a site that lacks secure socket layer protection will alert users that their personal details are not secure, even before these are entered in. Failing to ensure the highest possible levels of security can result in a loss of potential transactions.

There is also the fear of having collected information become compromised. It might seem like a top priority to obtain a functional platform that you can start marketing from for your business. Over the long-term, however, if you cut corners in any areas of the actual design process, you can wind up facing a number of costly liability and legal issues.

If you do not have the technical skills for resolving the individual vulnerabilities that each site add-on will invariably introduce, you should definitely think about outsourcing this particular task. Knowledgeable and experienced business owners know that it can be far cheaper to simply outsource web design from the very outset. Doing so will prevent the costs of having a substandard platform repaired and improved, along with the costs of any possible information breach.

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The simplest answer to the question, can I generate business from Social Media? is yes. For example, one can set up a store on Facebook, join an existing marketplace or casually mention the name of a business on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. While this is the case, it is important to adhere to all rules and regulations as defined and provided by site and page administrators.

Most business owners and marketing professionals think of these social networking websites to be most useful in brand building and advertising. For, it does not seem plausible that someone would buy a product off a picture or short tweet. While this may be the case, there are individuals currently using these outlets for generating leads in order to sell a number of products and services.

While these networking websites may have started more as a communication tool with regards to rebuilding long lost friendships and relationships, most provide far more than just a way to promote brands and market to current customers. For, when an individual can follow instructions, it is possible to use sites such as Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook to generate new leads.

Using social media in this manner can also save businesses and marketers a great deal of money. In fact, this type of marketing has already reduced costs for forty-five percent of businesses advertising on these sites. Whereas, most have seen an increased revenue of over 24% when utilising social media.

When it comes to using these websites to make money, the first place to start is with branding and lead generation. For, once an individual has a branded product, the individual can begin lead generation on different social media websites. In some cases, individuals have been to known run a test trial before the branded product actually exist.

In doing so, individuals have been able to use different networking websites to gain an idea of how much interest there may be in a product. Whereas, those marketing the product can also discover which audience is the most interested, then frame future advertising toward the demographics of that specific audience. After which, it can be much easier to transform the audience and others into paying customers.

In the past, lead generation often included market research, surveys or getting readers to fill out a form in the back pages of a magazine. However, the internet has totally changed the face of business when it comes to advertising and selling products and services. For, businesses now use gated content, email, paid ad campaigns and product placement rather than spending money on market research, surveys or ads in newspapers and magazines.

Ultimately, social networking websites makes the lead generation process even easier because all the information about the product can be shared among contacts and friends. After which, those individuals then share with others and so on and so forth. As such, the number of people receiving the product information is much higher than in older forms of advertising. Whereas, people whom like the product can go to a product page and “like, ” the product which then promotes even more sales. As such, the answer with regards to generating money on social networking websites is a resounding, yes.

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Perhaps you just started your business or you are in need of a better website, so people can get more engaged with what you have to offer to them. We all heard about web designers and if you looked into working with one, you know the costs can also vary greatly. You may wonder why is that and what do they offer that calls for different costs. Mainly, the difference comes from how they create the websites – either bespoke sites or template based ones. Let’s see what is a bespoke website next.

First, you will need to decide if you want a website created using templates or a bespoke one. The first option will be cheaper and faster, and you may be able to alter the templates a bit, but it will not be original.

A bespoke website is a custom-made one, from scratch, exactly how you want it to be to suit your needs and vision. This term is widely used, mostly for clothing or computer programs, all adapted and designed for a specific user.

Secondly, you need to be very aware of the pros and cons of using a tailored page versus a customisable theme. For instance, if your site will require complex functionality or you are expecting high traffic, it is best to choose a custom-made website. However, keep in mind that this might take a bit longer to build and you need to consider the cost of this. Also, based on the complexity of your site, it might even require ongoing maintenance, which will add to the cost.

If you do not want anything special for your website, or are just starting out and want to see how it goes before investing in a more costly site, you may opt for a themed site. Moreover, remember that these types of websites can limit the functionality and design, in case you want some updated after a while. They also require quite a few plugins and you will need a developer for this. In the long run, it may even get to cost around the price you would pay for a tailored site.

There is also another option, which is basically a combination of the two choices from above. It starts with a starter theme of your choosing, which will have minimal coding. After that, you can start to design your website as you like by adding more code to it. It is particularly convenient as the cost will be lower than the one for a 100% webpage, and your site will only have the code that you need to use.

When deciding if you will go with a bespoke site or a customisable theme one, choose to talk to a web designer first. Tell him or her the ideas you have, the goals for the page, timeframes and budget, and you will figure out together which would be the best approach.

Make sure you do your research as well, as some developers may present you with a bespoke site, but in reality there is a theme imported and some alterations done. Ask to see various designs and be specific about what you want when choosing a custom-made site.

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Search engine optimisation is a term that all business owners are guaranteed to hear at some point in time. This ongoing and multi-pronged process is vital for ensuring that brands and companies are able to get their fair share of online attention. If you have every asked the question, “What is SEO and how does it work?”, keep reading to learn more about this process and the numerous benefits that it can provide.

The web contains a very vast amount of information. In fact, there are so many websites, blogging platforms, sales platforms and informational directions among many other things, that the human mind simply cannot conceive the true volume of data that’s available. Moreover, if it is weren’t properly organised, indexed and catalouged in some way, it would not be possible for people to access the specific info they need, and when they need it.

Fortunately, search engines have taken on the daunting task of indexing, organising and cataloguing the available data. As such, people can turn to these popular platforms whenever they want to shop around for something specific. Rather than already knowing the exact web address of the company or info site that you want to visit, you can enter in search terms that are relevant to your needs. Then, the search engine that you use will provide you with a list of results that match your query.

This is the most seamless, effective and efficient way to manage online information. For companies, however, it means that there are steps that must be taken in order to ensure that a place is secured at the top of search results. After all, few consumers actually take the time to scroll through the often countless pages of results that are presented. In fact, if your business is not listed on the first or second page of results for the search terms that you wish to target, it probably won’t be seen at all.

When it comes to optimising for search engines, your goal is to provide obvious value to web users, while additionally showing search engines that this value exists. This means that you will have to take both a human approach to optimising, and a very technical one. There are a number of steps that this process invariably entails.

For starters, businesses have to make sure that they are regularly publishing plenty of timely and insightful content. This is content that will help web users get the info they need when submitting queries. It can come in the form of expert-level, industry-specific articles, or on-site blog posts. Quality content has always reigned supreme in the overall SEO process.

Before you start publishing content, however, you also have to make sure that your website is SEO-ready. The best sites are attractive, diligently maintained, and responsive. A responsive site will be visible and viable on any type of device that consumers use to connect. This means that people should be able to view and use your pages whether they are connecting with laptops, tablets, standard PCs or computers.

Establishing a social media presence and building high-quality links is also an important part of these efforts. Ultimately, the more that you build your online presence, the easier it will be for consumers to find you. Given that this is such a vast and integrated process, however, company owners often do best to outsource this ongoing project to top-rated online marketing and web development companies.

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Imagine trying to look for something on the web without having a clear idea of what you are looking for, or the web address of the company or organisation that you really want to connect with. No imagine trying to find what you want without the benefit of any formal search tool. If you have ever asked the question, “What is a search engine?”, you’re soon to learn that rely on tools like this one all day long, each and every day.

Search engines are platforms that are designed to help web users navigate the Internet. At their most basic, they are systems that generate lists of needs-specific responses based upon simple queries. For instance, if you are looking for a plumber in your area, you might key in terms relating to this profession along with terms that are specific to your geographic location.

At their inception, these platforms were quite simple and ran on very basic and easy to manipulate algorithms. Many company owners found that through manipulation, they could easily get their websites to the top of results so that they were most likely to be seen by interested prospects. This, however, did not provide a lot of value to consumers given that most search results pages were littered with info from unethical or otherwise undesirable companies.

Now, however, the algorithms used for this purpose are incredibly complex and constantly changing. Efforts to manipulate the way to the top of search results pages are ineffective and likely to land businesses with painful penalties. When web users take advantage of these platforms, they now have the benefit of truly needs-specific results and a lot of high-value and reliable information.

In fact, these platforms have also made a concerted effort to provide consumers with value in other ways. For instance, not only can you use them to look up websites according to search topics, but you can also receive ratings and reviews of different service and information providers. This makes it infinitely easier to make informed hiring or purchasing decisions, even with limited or no prior interactions with specific online service providers.

Major engines are the platforms that people go to automatically when in need of info and when lacking definite site addresses. There are, however, small engines that are available on individual websites for those who wish to continue searching for and accessing info while remaining confined in a tightly confined niche of ideas. Some of these smaller engines are branded by and run by major ones.

Not only do these tools make it easier for you to find what you are looking for, but they also make it unnecessary to browse the web by only entering in exact addresses. As such, users have access to a far more expansive range of options. They can see more information, connect with more companies and consumers, and have a greater impact in the digital realm overall.

For a company owner, understanding what search engines do for consumers is vital for implementing an effective online marketing campaign. When you know the value that people expect from top listings, you can make a concerted effort to provide this same value. Just as major engines are committed to helping web users find what they need, they are also designed to support ambitious, legitimate and high-value businesses in their quests to connect with targeted markets.

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WordPress has become the most popular and simple to use online platform for creating a website or a blog. The content management software has been commonly used by businesses and individuals who are interested in developing functional online pages that can be customised to represent their very needs. Understanding what is a Worpress website can help you make the best decisions for your online requirements.

The popular platform has been around for some time, originally developed in 2003, it has since undergone significant transformation to provide users greater flexibility and control over their web pages. Having developed a major following and a large community, more people are investing in the platform. It is also considered a more affordable option for creating your own web address and presence.

WordPress offers it users a content management system that provides individuals the opportunity to modify their site as they deem fit. Originally, users were restricted to creating blogs using this platform, however the introduction of various themes, plugins and similar features have made WordPress a top choice for developing both impressive websites and personal blogs. You can create any website of your choosing with the endless options that are presented online.

You can develop incredible online pages including eCommerce, forums and all types of media that can be used for various marketing purposes. Depending on the purpose for the site and the amount of flexibility you wish to exercise over your domain, you will need to choose between a . Org or a . Com address. A . Com address will offer a paid service while a . Org site provides more control.

To own your own website, you will have to invest in a . Org site that can easily be achieved by purchasing your very own domain name and hosting address. Everyone can use the site for a variety of purposes from individuals for personal blogs with regular updates to businesses looking to advertise its brand, products and services in an efficient and cost effective way. There are many government websites that have also been powered by WordPress.

With more than 30% of websites on the internet using the platform, it provides users incredible website building functions and a CMS or content management system. The popularity is owed to the ability to create multiple websites with this source and you are not limited to blogs. The site also offers resources and support you can easily access if you need help along the way.

This platform does offers users a basic or a standard site that can be used for free. This means you may download and install the software to start creating and running your online pages without having to pay for it. You will have to pay for the domain and hosting service that you will find with many supported providers.

If you are looking for a platform you can trust to start your very own site, the WordPress is a good start. The platform makes it easier to produce an authentic online presence that you can trust and your potential online audience will appreciate. Whether a blog, forum or business profile, use the modern site to create a powerful and dynamic presence today.

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Technology is advancing at such a rapid rate that many devices actually become obsolete before their expected lifespans have been reached. Few people are connecting to the web using old, conventional computers. Even stationary, all-in-one systems are largely used for gaming purposes. As such, if you want to use your website to connect with the largest group of consumers possible, you have to make sure that this platform is built to accommodate a vast and fast-growing range of devices. If you have every wondered, what is a responsive website, then the information that follows will help clear things up a bit.

In years past, websites were designed to be read and used largely on full-size computers and laptops. They simply weren’t coded for use on mobile phones or tablets. Smaller screen sizes made them too small to be viable and efficient. Moreover, certain features simply weren’t accessible. This is only an issue if a website was capable of showing up on one of these small-screen devices.

Think about how your customers are likely to access your site. Given the nature of your services or products, it may be best for people to connect online while on the go. In most cases, people are connecting with companies via their smartphones.

You should note that there are also a number of things that company owners commonly do to get their clients engaged online. For instance, if you intend to have an app, you will want your application to coordinate seamlessly with or perfectly complement your site. Having a mobile app is rarely sufficient for meeting all the needs of your market. Information that cannot be accessed on an app will likely be searched for on the traditional website.

Responsiveness is not something that you want to think about after already having designed your web pages. This is because it is far cheaper to hire a company that can get this aspect of the coding and design process right from the outset than it is to go back and fix areas of insufficiency once these have already been built in. You will save more money over the long run by simply budgeting for a reputable designer from the outset.

It is vital to understand that optimising your web pages will not be possible if these are not responsive. This is currently one of the top factors that search engines are looking at when indexing pages. They want to know that their users will be able to access the available links to get the information they need.

When SEO tactics aren’t working, upgrading to a responsive site design may be the needed solution. Once the accessibility and viability of an outdated site is improved, it will often rank a lot better. Responsiveness is definitely something you want to think about if your site hasn’t been seriously upgraded in some years.

Companies offering these services can actually help you with many aspects of the design and online marketing process. From SEO to content curation and more, these entities act as one stop shops for helping companies get websites and then get these sites noticed. Working with these agencies is often the best way to establish an affordable, seamless and truly effective plan for entering the digital arena.

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At Acceler8 Media our aim is always to provide customers with the best web presence possible, whilst providing an exceptional level of support and advice. This is exemplified by the experiences of North West Asbestos who tasked us with rebuilding their website and implementing a combination of SEO and Google Ads to promote the new site. The review they provided in response to their experiences makes all of our hard work worthwhile:

‘Since joining Acceler8 Media our work has increased by more than 30%. The most amazing thing about this up turn in business is that the amount we were spending on marketing prior to moving to Acceler8 was more than double what it is now. They keep in touch with us and send us a regular up dates from our advertising with them. Fully recommend them.’

Ian
North West Asbestos

Year on year, the performance of the website continues to improve and the latest Google Analytics data demonstrates the uplift in traffic:

  • 41% increase in visitors to the website compared to the same period last year.
  • 37% increase in page views compared to the previous year, due to improved content and usability on mobile devices.
  • 42% increase in new visitors to the website compared to the same period last year.

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