by Iris Dorbian. For small businesses with a burgeoning online presence, using online site metrics as a benchmark for performance can be critical to the company’s growth. Not only can such tools as website analytics track the number of visitors (or lack thereof) to a site, but they can also provide data as to what content is working and what isn’t. A big side benefit is its impact on a company’s sales message. Wade Benz, owner of USImprints, an online provider of promotional products,...

by Susan Caminiti. Big corporations have long understood the need to protect against cyber criminals out to wreak havoc on their computer systems in order to steal money or customer data—or both. Yet technology experts say small businesses are just as vulnerable, and don’t even know it. “The same small business owner who will spend money putting in an alarm system, a fence around the building, and locks on every door, is the same person who doesn’t see the need to take security...

Make sure your website and other digital tools are as effective as possible By Sherron Lumley. Nowadays, the morning commute may be a sideways roll out of bed, then a flex of the index finger to power on the computer. We can attend a conference call in pajamas and chat online with a client over a bowl of cereal. So what does it mean to be dressed for success when we don’t necessarily have to get dressed? The nature of interaction between businesses and customers has changed in the...

SQL Injection Attacks. Scareware.  Password Crackers.  BOTs.  They sound like alien attacks from an episode of Star Trek – not real threats to your small business. But, the threat is real. Cyber crime has reached new heights, and the criminals do not care if you’re a Fortune 500 company or a mom-and-pop shop.   In fact, as hackers look for the easiest way into a network, small businesses and their less sophisticated security measures are prime targets.  A 2010 Panda Security survey of 10,000...

by Erin McDermott. What small business owner hasn’t wished that their tall pile of tasks could be finished with just the push of a button? Well, if that wish hasn’t quite come true for every beleaguered owner, it’s not for lack of trying by the exploding App (application) universe, with its hundreds of thousands of offerings aimed at the one in four Americans who now own a smartphone. Among the apps are thousands that claim to be the business, finance, and productivity solution to your most...

How to use social media to advance your business By Reed Richardson For many small business owners and budding entrepreneurs, budgets are especially tight these days and finding the capital to generate new sales leads, kick off a marketing campaign, or hire a customer service representative is likely a difficult, if not impossible, task. But by taking advantage of the new social media tools now available, a small business owner can accomplish many of these same tasks for little to no cost and...

These five high-tech products make a lot of low-tech sense By Max Berry It seems that there is always some new gadget to buy, some new breakthrough that you, the small business owner, supposedly can't live without. It can be hard to separate the essential business tools from the latest tech novelties. Here, to help you make some sense of the deluge, are five innovations that will truly put your business on the cutting edge. 1. Looking for an ultra-thin laptop at a reasonable price? The...

Don't ignore the issue of digital security, a network breach or a loss of data could threaten the survival of your business By Nate Hardcastle The digital revolution has given small businesses capabilities that were once the exclusive domain of their big competitors from fast, high quality publishing to instant global communication. But those technologies have also brought new dangers, including hackers, viruses, spyware, adware, and the loss of valuable data to insufficient backup. Luckily,...