Igniting Business Blog

Social media's biggest player, Facebook, frequently changes their algorithm. This algorithm determines the content users see in their news feed, and the order in which it appears. For the best chance of success on the platform, your company's social media strategy needs to change with the algorithm.

Recently, a website visitor reached out to us with a very common issue. They are a small business with an e-commerce website, and their product pages included mostly duplicate content. This is not uncommon, as many manufacturers and suppliers will provide businesses with product descriptions and images. Inevitably, this means there are potentially hundreds of websites with the exact same content. The question is, "Will Google penalize my e-commerce website for having duplicate content?"

You may have seen this software advertised one way or another on the Internet, but do you know what it is and what amazing things it can do for your business? Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing platform released in February 2010 that has taken the world by storm with its capabilities in flexible hardware platforms and data storage.

Business owners are experts in doing what they do best, which is running their own industry-specific organization. Most recognize the evolution of the internet and online marketing has expanded their customer base and streamlined many business processes. Still, it can be difficult to know which online efforts are worth pursuing.

If it seems as if in recent months there has been a notable rise in website hacks, you are not alone in your analysis. In 2016 alone, there were data breaches in major organizations such as LinkedIn, Snapchat, UC Berkley, Wendy's and Dropbox. Even tech organizations such as Oracle and Cisco, along with federal government departments such as the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Dept. of Justice succumbed to attacks from hackers in 2016. Just this month, Google reported in its State of Website Security report that there was a 32% increase in the number of hacked sites in 2016.

A Google AdWords campaign is a powerful tool to bring your business right into the search results of people who are actively looking for the products or services you provide, or who are searching for something relevant to your business. For many small businesses, setting up and maintaining a successful AdWords campaign - one that earns you valuable clicks and leads to conversions - is overwhelming. The process can be complicated and time-consuming, but don't let that stop you.

One of the latest trends seen in web design is being pushed by one of the major browser players today: Google. If your website design is still using Adobe Flash Player, then Google is about to make it a little more difficult for visitors to use your site. In December 2016, Google provided the roll-out plan for the gradual phase out of Adobe Flash Player with the goal of replacing it completely with HTML5 on the Chrome browser.

Internet Retailer predicts by 2018, U.S. customers alone will generate at least $400 billion in online spending. For small organizations, it is therefore vital to stay current with small business e-commerce website trends to meet the growing needs of customers.

It's often difficult to gain a strong social media following as a small business. Your small business likely has the disadvantage of not being a household name or well-known among many people. But that doesn't mean you should disregard social media altogether or write off certain social media networks, like Twitter for instance. Yes, Twitter is a favorable marketing tool for businesses and audiences. Used strategically, it can be much more than just a place to tweet about your personal thoughts and activities in 140 characters or to follow/retweet your favorite celebrities.

Google continues to adapt its algorithm that determines how well your site pulls up in search results. As customers increasingly rely on mobile devices, it's more important than ever to find new ways to get a top Google ranking for your small business.