Coinbase VS Kraken: Which One Is Better

Let’s talk about Kraken and Coinbase

So, you are on your way to becoming a crypto hobbyist and you are ready to start trading! But where to start ?!

Cryptocurrencies are not like bread, sugar, eggs, and milk. We can’t go to our local store to get them, and Amazon definitely doesn’t ship them with next-day delivery! Instead, we need to use the services of a cryptocurrency exchange.

Essentially, these cryptocurrency exchanges help us exchange our fiat currency for cryptocurrency. They also provide a platform for cryptocurrency trading, sale and storage. Such a large choice, and how to understand which one is better?

Kraken Exchange and Coinbase are some of the largest and most reputable online exchanges. However,they still need variations. 

Kraken and Coinbase are two different platforms.

We cannot begin our review of the Kraken and Coinbase cryptocurrency exchanges without first highlighting the huge difference in their features.

Let’s take a glance at what the two exchanges provide.

Kraken:

Kraken offers leveraged trading (or margin trading). This means that you can trade larger amounts than you deposited.

Let’s look an example: 

Imagine you deposited $5,000. Then you could buy $15,000 worth of Bitcoin. Bitcoin’s price goes up and suddenly your investment is worth $20,000! If you sell at that moment, you will make a profit of $5,000 – So you will double your investment.

This way, you can make a lot more money than you deposited! However, there can be a reverse reaction: you can also lose more money than you deposited.

For example, you buy $15,000 worth of Bitcoin with your $5,000 deposit. The price dropped a lot and now your Bitcoin is only worth $14,000. If you sell at this stage, you will lose $6,000. You only deposited $5,000, so you owe the Kraken $1,000. This is how leveraged trading works.

It’s all happening because the trade margin is flexible and it is changing every minute. So to not lose—the right solution is to always follow it and the information about it. For doing that, in the 21st century it is easy to find Instagram or facebook influencers and have an ear about their objective opinion and predictions. 

Coinbase:

Coinbase does not support leveraged trading like Kraken. It’s just a crypto brokerage service. It basically works like this:

  • You are submitting a request to Coinbase that you would like to buy X Bitcoins:
  • The platform then trades for you:
  • The Coinbase exchange then adds the number of Bitcoins that you bought to your Coinbase Bitcoin wallet:

Kraken VS Coinbase: Pros and Cons

It’s important to understand that each service and product has it’s own advantages and disadvantages.

Security:

Software technologies are developing more and more. Due to artificial intelligence, there are programs that are generating random shapes or random numbers for users.  Cryptocurrency platforms generally use random number generators for security.

Both cryptocurrency exchanges follow industry best security practices and are widely recognized as secure cryptocurrency exchange platforms.

But Coinbase has an extra layer of protection. Funds held in the Coinbase digital wallet are insured by the Lloyds of London syndicate. Thus, if hackers somehow hack and steal our cryptocurrency, any lost money will be refunded. It is very cool!

Fees:

Coinbase’s fees are much higher than Kraken’s. They also offer the option to purchase using a credit / debit card, which sells for a higher price.

What cryptocurrencies you can buy:

It’s simple: you can only trade four cryptocurrencies on Coinbase.

  • Bitcoin (BTC)
  • Ethereum (ETH)
  • Litecoin (LTC)
  • Bitcoin Cash (BCH)

If you want to exchange Dash or Melon, Coinbase would not be the right fit for you. You can use Kraken instead.

So now that you’ve read our Coinbase vs Kraken comparison, you’re ready to choose your winner in the Kraken vs Coinbase battle. If no, and you need more information check out another good comparison of Kraken VS Coinbase and get more info about it!

 

Ten Essentials To Check Before Purchasing A Cloud Hosting

 

Image source

To manage all the technical stuff of your multi-category business website, you need to choose the best cloud hosting, the one with robust hosting plans. This selection can be complicated but critical for your business to turn to cloud computing as its default setting.

Before buying cloud hosting, the main question that comes to mind is, with so many options, how can we select the best service provider for us?

Well, as you might know, not all cloud providers are the same; you must make a careful assessment before you choose the right host. Analyze the following points and look for these essentials beforehand. This assessment will save you from regretting your choice afterwards.

1.             Cloud Security Setups

Security should be your topmost concern while purchasing cloud hosting. This fundamental element ensures that your data is safe and protected.

Inquire your would-be service provider about what setup and security measures they have in place to guarantee your data safety.

By signing up to a cloud service, you are precisely asking a company on the internet to be a closed shelter for your website; therefore, be vigilant. The security measures you must not overlook includes:

  • Firewalls
  • Multifactor user authentication
  • Encryption
  • Antivirus detection

2.             Cloud Compliance

The next concern to not ignore is choosing the design that can assist you in mitigating security risks and meet conformity standards that pertain to your business and company.

Image source

Whether you are obligated to GDPR, HIPPA, PCL DSS, SOC 2 or any other scaffold, you need to know what it will take to attain compliance once your submissions and statistics breathe in a public cloud infrastructure.

I&O leaders should know where their duties lie and what compliance attributes the provider will help them check.

3.             Pricing Structure

The cost of every cloud provider varies. Make sure you know what you are being charged for. Pricing structure plays a decisive role in deciding which cloud hosting you select.

Before you choose the right cloud service provider, ask about the upfront cost and the ability to add services as needed. Check if the services will be charged hourly, once a month, per annum or biannually.

Also, make sure to analyze your handling pattern and then decide which provider fits your style and budget most.

4.             Data Storage

Since you know cloud computing involves storing numbers and records at off-site locations, those data centers’ corporal position and safety are just as crucial as online security.

The cloud provider you’ll choose will boost your business sites loading pace if they have data center spots near your online users.

5.             Robust Reputation

Ensure the hunt for a service provider always comes to an end with the web hosting service that has a robust reputation and is well known for providing the best cloud hosting.

The cloud provider you’ll choose will boost your business sites loading pace if they have data center spots near your online users.

The companies that have good standings offer excellent uptime and zero per cent downtime. However, there can be a chance for the very minimum outage; but otherwise, it’s good in providing some excellent customer support.

Also, when checking the reputation, it’s essential to see if the host is owned independently or not and how are they good at protecting private information.

6.             Service Levels

According to Assignment Assistance UK, Service levels are essential to reflect on when purchasing cloud hosting. Considering this facet is vital for those businesses with austere requirements regarding accessibility, reply time, aptitude, etc.

A meticulous concentration should also be given to legitimate requirements for data security hosted in cloud hosting, specifically in the strike of GDPR.

7.             Architecture

Another essential feature to ponder on is architecture. Analyze how the design will integrate into your workflows today and in future. For instance, if your company has invested in the Microsoft universe, then Azure is best for you. The same is the case for Google and Amazon. Invest in a cloud provider that provides easy incorporation and amalgamation.

Image source

Also, remember that the technical architecture of repute cloud hosting is extensive, complicated and challenging to understand.

8.             Features And Capabilities

Aloft cloud hosting offers features that are elemental for servers and business websites. While looking out for essentials before purchasing your service provider, watch out for FTP/SFTP access features. SSD storage, content delivery network, power to retrieve specific files, and a feature that will let you possess your domain name email address must also be considered.

If your company is looking to shift its virtual server workloads to container organization or server less architecture, then, in that case, you need to overlook to gauge the container capabilities of each cloud service provider.

The below three CSPs provides backing for container management, placements, and operations.

  • Microsoft Azure Kubernetes Service
  • Amazon Elastic Container Service
  • Google Kubernetes Engine

9.             Customer Support

Since cloud computing never rests, and neither should your cloud provider’s technical support, it’s essential to get help when you need it.

While gazing around the review sections of some CSPs to find answers to my coursework help UK questions, I found that people have been through a hostile relationship with their cloud providers because of inadequate and falsified customer support. Therefore, make sure you choose the best cloud hosting plan that guarantees that fast customer support from an expert and experienced support team will be offered within the selected package.

Knowing which cloud hosting offers excellent customer support will help you choose the right and most suitable service provider for your business.

10.             Upgrade Options

Last but not least, when purchasing cloud hosting, check if the plan you are fascinated by can be modernized or not.

This feature is essential to know because when you are starting a website and utilizing a shared plan, it warrants that you will get more supplies when you feel the need to that too without buying a new plan.

Author bio

Stella Lincoln is an Assistant Editor at Crowd Writer; she provides the best essay editing service  at reasonable rates. Stella is also a tech freak and loves learning about innovative developments in the mighty tech world.

How to Get 1000 Followers on Instagram

Instagram is one of the most popular social media after facebook though it’s a facebook authorized site. More than 1 billion people are using Instagram and more than 100 million new users join Instagram in a month. Instagram is a photo and videos sharing app. But people also earn money through Instagram by creating Reels and getting more popularity. You also promote your art or your business through Instagram. You saw your friends got 20k followers but you have only 100 and your pictures get only 50 likes. In this article we will discuss how you can get free Instagram likes and followers. So try these following tips:

Complete your account:

Your account should be attractive so choose an attractive user name and mention yourself in the bio. Don’t forget to use your real name.  If you want to promote your business then you should create a business account and named your profile as your brand name. If you don’t know how to create a business account you can take help of GetInsta and get free 1000 followers and likes.

Posts only quality photos and videos:

On Instagram, the quality of posts matters a lot. The Twitter fans would possibly forgive some awful tweets, however an awful image on Instagram is a large no-no. Fortunately, you do not need to take an image route to be an awesome Instagram picture— nor do you need to exercise for weeks earlier than you start. Except you ought to get acquainted with primary images hints and image enhancing apps. However, Instagram has a few primary enhancing capabilities, however oftentimes; they are not ok to make visuals virtually immense. You can also use Instagram Fonts to create your photos more attractive. Most of your photographs ought to undergo at least one or image enhancing apps for your cellular Smartphone earlier than you release them on Instagram.

Use trending hashtags:

Observe their hashtags plus write down those they’re using. Then, discover some other account like theirs, through a comparable following with do the equal thing. Stipulation it’s an enormous account, you won’t see whichever hashtags. Check the primary touch upon the summit, as a few human beings positioned them there.

If you continue to don’t see some hashtags, scroll till you attain the start in their feed. Condition they grew purely, then they in all likelihood used them frequently at a few points. Copy all the hashtags, next paste them in any Google Doc otherwise possibly your electronic mail notes

Understand the algorithm:

One of the primary steps closer to developing your Instagram fans is to apprehend how Instagram mechanism. Expressive what the set of rules is favoring permits you to attain one thousand fans on Instagram sooner. Why, due to the fact Instagram desires manufacturers to be creative, consistent and authentic.

Thus, you don’t need to proportion a brand new submit each 3 months. But you furthermore may don’t need to proportion 20 posts an afternoon as you likely won’t obtain the preferred engagement. Find a candy spot to your account. Trial with distinct sorts of posts. Aim for attractive posts that might clutch your fans’ attention.

Engage your fans:

Another vital motive to study your analytics whilst developing your Instagram fans is to discover the quality instances to submit your content material. You need to interact with your lovers at the proper time. This approach which you want to recognize the instances that they’re greater lively on Instagram. Regulate your posting time table as a consequence to proportion content material on the proper time. The greater lively fans you’ve got whilst you’re sharing posts, the better the possibilities for them to have interaction and proportion your content material.

 

Author: I’m Jaylin: Guest post service planner of Leelija and full time blogger. Favorite things include my camera, traveling, caring my fitness, food and my fashion. Email id: [email protected]

 

How To Launch Your First Affiliate Email Marketing Campaign

Affiliate email marketing can boost your income. But launching an affiliate email marketing campaign is not as simple as it sounds. If you want to succeed, you need to plan and be strategic in your efforts.

This article will look at how you can launch your first affiliate email marketing campaign. But first, let’s discuss a few things you need to be aware of before you launch your affiliate email marketing campaign.

Email Affiliate Marketing Mistakes to Avoid

Before you launch a campaign, consider the promise you made to your subscribers. For example, you might have promised to send subscribers a regular monthly newsletter. Or, you might have promised to send your audience content about email marketing.

Whatever promise you made to your subscribers, you need to keep.

Take Digital Marketer as an example. They promise to send emails every Monday with marketing content.

You can’t suddenly go from promising to send regular newsletters about marketing to exclusively sending emails with links to affiliate offers. You’ll only get unsubscribes.

You could send the occasional email with links to affiliate offers. That’s fine. Your subscribers will expect you to want to earn some money. Or, you could include affiliate links in some of your newsletters. That’s also fine. It’s just a case of moderation.

The second thing to keep in mind is that your subscribers need to desire the products you promote. There is no point in promoting products that people don’t want. 

If you’re unsure about the type of products or services your subscribers find interesting, ask them. Or create a customer persona and try to identify their pain points and desires. You’ll generally find that the best approach is based on data and insight.

With these two things out of the way, let’s discuss running an affiliate email marketing campaign.

The success of your affiliate email campaign will depend on your planning. I’ll walk you through how to run an effective affiliate email marketing campaign in the following paragraphs.

     1.Check If Your Email Provider Allows Affiliate Links

Before you send emails containing your affiliate links, you should verify your list. Then, make sure your email provider allows you to run affiliate marketing campaigns. Some email providers discourage affiliate marketing because they are concerned about deliverability rates. Others ban the inclusion of affiliate links in emails entirely.

Don’t risk losing your email account or your mailing list by breaking the rules.

The best way to confirm whether your email provider allows affiliate links is to ask them or search for the FAQ. You can contact the company’s customer support if the information is not included within the terms of service.

     2. Choose a Good Affiliate Network

Assuming that you’re allowed to run an affiliate email marketing campaign, you need to find products to promote. The process is straightforward: join a company’s in-house affiliate program, or join an affiliate network. 

Affiliate networks may work better for you if you’re just starting. The network acts as the intermediary between you and the company, so you can be assured that you’ll get paid correctly and on time. 

Affiliate networks often offer more accurate tracking of affiliate clicks and can provide you with better reporting. There are some exceptions to this.

Affiliate networks also allow you to promote products from multiple merchants. You can manage everything from a single dashboard.

These are some of the best affiliate networks:

  • ShareASale
  • ClickBank
  • JV Zoo
  • CJ Affiliate (formerly Commission Junction)
  • Amazon Associates
  • eBay Partner Network
  • FlexOffers
  • Pepperjam
  • Rakuten Marketing (formerly Linkshare) 

Ensure the merchants you choose to sell products or services related to your niche.

For example, if you’re a software blogger, JV Zoo might be your best bet. Many software companies list deals on the platform. 

Once you’ve picked your program, review the commission rate, conversion rates, Earnings Per Click (EPC), and the refund rate. The EPC is especially important, as it will provide you with a sense of how much money you will make from promoting a product.

Most affiliate networks share this information with affiliates.

An in-house affiliate program might not share this data. If you can’t find the data, I recommend you send an inquiry. The company might not respond to your request, but there’s no harm in asking.

     3. Design Your Campaign

Once you’ve found a product, the next step in the process is to choose how long you want to promote an offer. Fundamentally, you have two options:

  • Send one email to subscribers promoting the offer
  • Send multiple emails to subscribers as part of a campaign

There are pros and cons to both approaches. For example, if you only send one email to subscribers, you’ll make fewer sales. On the positive side, you’re less likely to get unsubscribes, which will happen when people feel you are bugging them.

If you decide to send multiple emails, you’ll make more sales but annoy your subscribers.

AppSumo is an example of a company that only sends one email using a standardized template. They decided that approach worked best because they didn’t want to lose subscribers. Many other affiliates run campaigns. Ultimately, you’ll need to decide which approach is best for your business.

Send Multiple Emails

If you choose to run a campaign, consider how to sequence your emails. For example, you could use the “Product Launch Formula.” You send three emails, and then you launch your promo. 

Source: Funnelytics

Jeff Walker developed the Product Launch Formula. The sequence works great for affiliate marketing campaigns.

Here’s an example of an affiliate marketer using this approach to promote his product. The email below is the first of the series.

You can see that Wilco outlines what subscribers can expect in the first email. He then shares a link to the landing page with a video.

Each email in the sequence needs to lead into the next. The idea is to build anticipation for the offer you are promoting. That way, you can maximize the conversions. If you plan to 

Sending a single email is more straightforward.

The final thing you should consider is what you can do to maximize conversions.

The Bonus Funnel

One strategy you can use to improve your conversion rate is to create a bonus funnel. A bonus funnel is where you add bonuses to the affiliate offer for people who purchase through your link.

The way a bonus funnel works is straightforward. You promote your offer through your email and share your custom bonuses. You then create a landing page where you send your subscribers.

You can use a design like the one below to promote your bonuses. Your bonuses will incentivize people to use your link and boost conversions.

Source: Jeff Bullas

The bonuses you provide to subscribers should be useful for anyone purchasing the product or service you’re promoting. For example, if you were promoting a camera as an affiliate, you might create a video training series that shows people how to make the best use of the camera.

Russell Brunson, the founder of ClickFunnels, was one of the first people to use stacked bonuses to increase conversions. You’ll see he uses this approach on almost all his sales pages, even when those sales pages promote a free product.

If you choose, you might send them through your bonus funnel to a webinar, where you share information about the product or service you are promoting. For an expensive product, you might try to get them to join a virtual meeting.

     4. Write Your Email Copy

Once you’ve defined your campaign, it’s time to write the email copy for your affiliate email marketing campaign. The email you send should have one purpose; to get people to click on that affiliate link.

If you’re serious about maximizing your conversions, I recommend that the only thing you do in the email is to promote the product. If your email has multiple goals, for example, promote a product and get people to visit your blog, you’ll get a lower conversion rate.

AppSumo is a great example of a company with a clear framework you could imitate when promoting a product.

 

The emails have three Calls to Action to the sales page.

Making Sense of Cents is another company you might want to imitate. In the example below, Michelle is promoting an affiliate marketing course. She starts by sharing her story. She then discusses her fears and overcomes the objections.

This copywriting strategy is a great way to convince people they need the product or service you are promoting.

The final example I want to touch on is the bonus funnel. In the email example below, you can see how the writer stacks up the value of the bonuses. Stacking up the bonuses, and showing the value of the offer you have put together, is a great way to incentivize action.

If you plan to use a bonus funnel, I recommend you take this approach.

     5. Measure and Analyze Your Performance

Your job doesn’t end once you’ve automated your campaign. You’ll need to monitor the performance of each affiliate email sequence and each individual email, so you’ll know which ones work. Look at your email open rates, click-through rates, and unsubscribe rates. Track all of your subscribers’ interactions with your emails. 

Most importantly, pay attention to your affiliate commissions. That’s the most important metric for you as an affiliate email marketer. If an affiliate email sequence has high open rates but doesn’t bring in conversions, that means you need to change something in that email to encourage readers to push through with the purchase. 

If you continually analyze your affiliate email campaign, you can determine which emails and email sequences you should retain, discard, tweak a bit, or overhaul.

Wrapping up

If you’re a publisher, you should seriously consider venturing into affiliate marketing to earn some extra income if you haven’t already. Your email list is one of the most powerful tools you have, so why not make good use of it? Instead of just sending marketing emails to your subscribers, you can also send them your affiliate links to generate conversions. 

But there’s a right and wrong way to conduct an affiliate email marketing campaign. I’ve laid out the process you should follow. Now it’s up to you. It can take time and effort to start seeing results, so put the work in and be strategic in all that you do. If you do, you’ll soon see those affiliate commissions coming in!

Top 7 WordPress Security Plugins to Defend Your Website

Before understanding why WordPress Security Plugins are important, let me tell you something. Assume You have bought a store where you want to sell some products. For that,  you have to buy the store and all the products you want to sell, and that is a very heavy investment to do.

Aren’t you scared now? What if someone comes and loot the store? So for that, you need to take some security measurements, so your store remains safe and secure. Either you will install cameras or hire a guard to protect your store.

So, you see how you need to protect your store. It is necessary to protect the sites, also because if someone breached the site and hacked it there will be a lot of loss, and you have to deal with it. That will be more costly than buying a plugin and protecting your site. Although, you can also manually fix your WordPress website from hacking.

If you don’t secure your site and it’s hacked, the consequences will be:

  1. They will steal all the data that belongs to you and also your customer.
  2. They can do some malicious activity from your site.
  3. They can even throw you out of your site because you won’t be having any control
  4. This will have a negative impact, and you will rank low in SEO.

Now before selecting the WordPress security plugin. There are some basic requirements you should look into. Those are:

  1. Scanning all files
  2. Scanning for malware
  3. Firewalls
  4. Attack from brute force
  5. Post hack action
  6. Actively doing monitoring of website
  7. Notify if there is any threat

And much more.

Here I have listed down a few plugins so that you can compare their features and select the WordPress security plugin as per your requirements.

  1. Wordfence Security 

This is the most user-friendly WordPress security plugin, you have to be a tech geek or wizard to know the basics of this plugin. Wordfence provides a lot of features in his basic version only which other plugin is charging for.

  • Wordfence free version: 
  • Firewall monitoring
  • Malware scanning
  • Monitoring blacklist
  • Security audits
  • Security procedures after your website is hacked
  • Website firewall
  • Brute force attack
  • Customizable email alerts
  • Limiting fail login attempts 
  • Wordfence premium version: 
  • All the features that are in the free version.
  • Monitor all sites from the central board.
  • Real-time IP blacklisting and blocking feature.
  • Direct customer support assistance.
  • Two-factor authentication.
  • Malware real-time threat detection.
  • Live traffic and analytic monitoring.
  1. iThemes Security

Another popular WordPress security plugin is iThemes which was formerly known as WP security. You won’t get many free features in iThemes. To enjoy all the features of iThemes, you have to pay for it. But once you buy it, the plugin won’t let you down, or we can say its security feature won’t disappoint you.

Let’s see what all features you are getting in the premium feature of iThemes:

  • Two-factor authentication.
  • Malware scans are pre-scheduled.
  • 404 detection.
  • Brute force attack prevention.
  • Password security.
  • Google reCAPTCHA integration.
  • Plugin scan.
  • Importing and exporting.
  • Strong password enforcement.
  1. Jetpack 

Another on the list is the powerhouse of WordPress security plugins. There are basic features available in the free version of jetpack, but you have to keep an eye on the premium feature because the security it is providing is more than you are asking for.

Let’s see the feature and decide for yourself:

  • One-click restoration.
  • Real-time backup is done so every change you make on the website is saved.
  • If you want to monitor your site for downtown you can do that too.
  • Spam protection.
  • Security scanning.
  • Automated marketing tools.
  • Alerts you via emails in case your site is down.
  • You can check the activity log to see what or who broke the site.
  1. Sucuri Security 

It’s the leading WordPress security plugin in the world of security. Sucuri provides so much facility in the free version only, but its premium version is something you can’t neglect.

Let’s see all the facilities we get in the free version of Sucuri and the premium version of Sucuri so that your WordPress site is not hacked easily.

  • Sucuri’s free version:
  • Firewall monitoring
  • Malware scanning
  • Monitoring blacklist
  • Security audits
  • Notifications
  • Security procedures after your website are hacked
  • Website firewall
  • Sucuri’s premium version: 
  • Multiple SSL certificates, although you have to pay for them.
  • They will notify you if there is anything wrong with your website.
  • DDoS attack prevention and protection are also available.
  • You can chat with customer service in the form of an email. 

    5. Bulletproof Security 

This security is for tech geeks, and it is meant for advanced developers, who can do some changes in settings. They also say that in the last few years, whoever has downloaded this plugin there site has never been hacked. The bulletproof plugin is made for more comprehensive users. Although most of the features are included in the premium version, if you are a tech wizard, you will love this plugin.

  • Bulletproof free version 
  • MScanner
  • Htaccess core
  • Login security and monitoring
  • Idle session logout
  • Auth Cookie expiration
  • Security log
  • UI and UX setting
  • Setup wizard 
  • Bulletproof premium version 
  • All free version feature
  • AutoRestore
  • Plugin Firewall
  • DB Monitor
  • DB Diff tool
  • Uploads anti-exploit guard
  • F-Lock
  • JTC anti-hacker
  1. MalCare Security 

The only plugin I can say can clean up after there is an attack on your site with just one click, this feature is included in the premium version, but this feature is worth mentioning. What MalCare does is copy your whole site on its server so that it can run an in-depth scan.

  • Features MalCare provides (Custom) 
  • Unlimited automatic malware removal
  • Daily scan
  • Smart website firewall
  • Login protection
  • Website hardening
  • Website management completely
  • Client reports
  • White Label solution

   7.  All in one WP Security & Firewall 

Last but not the least, and the only security plugin in this list that is completely free of cost, you don’t have to pay for any of its features. And like the name, it has a list of features to back it up.

  • All in one features 
  • Account security
  • Login security
  • Registration security
  • File system security
  • Brute force login attack prevention
  • Firewall functionality
  • Blocklist functionality
  • Comment spam security
  • Front end text copy protection
  • Security scanner

Conclusion: 

So this is it from my side, looking at the feature the security plugin offers and the feature you want compare both of them and choose the plugin you want, accordingly. As security is one of the main things, you need to protect your site. So choose wisely and never think twice if what you want is in the paid version of the plugin, buy it.

All You Need to Know About Your WordPress SEO Checklist

With the emergence of WordPress as a preferred content management system for enterprise-level websites, site owners everywhere are looking for more effective ways to boost their search engine optimization (SEO). Many sites, though, do not follow a clearly-defined strategy for SEO. Instead, they apply quick fixes. These fixes might work for a while, but the results aren’t effective or sustainable in the long run.

To bring your site to the top of the search rankings and keep it there, you need a comprehensive strategy that will cover all aspects of your website’s SEO. Today, we’ll share a full WordPress SEO checklist that helps you to improve your WordPress site’s search ranking and grow your business.

The Complete WordPress SEO Checklist

When you have a quality WordPress website with informative, relevant, and optimized content, it can top the search engine results pages (SERPs). In this section, we’ll cover some of the powerful WordPress SEO tactics that you can use on your business website: 

1. Get the index settings right

When it comes to on-page SEO, your website needs to be Googlebot-friendly. 

Google indexes your website if WordPress permits it to do so. To enable Google indexing, go to “Settings” and then the “Reading” section of the admin page (known as Search Engine Visibility) to see if the box is deselected. If it is enabled, switch it off so search engines can index your website. Make sure your site has a “robots.txt”, as this permits search engine crawlers to index your website. 

Visit www.domain.com/robots.txt and ensure there is nothing that disallows search engine crawling. Add a “meta robots” tag (“index,follow”) to all web pages that you want search engines to spot and index. When robot tags are not mentioned, it means the web page is crawled. You can change this setting using SEO plugins. When you alter it to “noindex,nofollow”, Google and other search engines miss the page or entire website. 

To detect crawl errors on your WordPress website, use the “URL Inspection” feature. Do this regularly to ensure your web content is correctly indexed. 

2. Choose a reliable hosting provider

When choosing a hosting provider, you need to know about the different options and how they measure up. 

If you pick a self-managed hosting provider, you rent the hosting space or server and install everything on your own. With self-managed hosting, you enjoy flexibility but need to look after the operating system, security, and updates.

A shared hosting service provider can be a great choice if your WordPress website has hundreds of weekly visits. However, as your traffic grows, it may slow down your website’s performance (as other websites share the same hosting server). In this case, you may choose to migrate to dedicated hosting as your website traffic increases. 

Source: WebsiteBuilderExpert

A dedicated WordPress hosting service is also a great option, and gives you a server that you will not have to share with other sites. This can improve your site’s speed, performance, and user experience.

3. Install SEO-friendly plugins

Installing an SEO plugin will help you fully optimize every page on your website for search engine performance. This allows you to have full control over the things Google users see when your website pops up in their results. 

Some of the most popular WordPress SEO plugins include Yoast SEO, All In One SEO Pack, and SEOPress. Using a plugin enables you to build keyword-rich content, modify meta descriptions, activate breadcrumbs, create XML sitemaps, and add schema markup. 

4. Perform keyword research & mapping

Proper keyword research is essential for your search engine ranking. Google’s search and ranking algorithm uses keywords to calculate ranks. Here are some tips for your keyword research:

  • Look for relevant keywords that have high search volumes but not much competition. Tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and KWfinder will help you find those keywords.
  • If you’re looking to expand to an international market, pay close attention to your multilingual SEO. The market for English searches is close to getting saturated, while SEO for other languages is relatively easier. 
  • Generate a sitemap of your website’s structure and hierarchy. This information will help you determine how Google crawls through your site and allow you to structure your site so Google can crawl it more easily. One of the SEO plugins we discussed above can help you create a sitemap. 

Once you know which keywords you should aim for, it’s time to build content around them.

5. Start creating solid content

Content is king of marketing, and it also rules SEO. Both Google’s crawlers and your audience love great content, so it is essential to performing well in the search rankings. Long-form articles have been proven to boost search engine performance and help you generate more backlinks. Longer articles can also rank for more target keywords, including long-tail search terms:

 

Source: Search Engine Journal

Focus on evergreen content (content that will be relevant for a long time) and update the data and context periodically to adapt to the times. A balanced mix of trending and evergreen content will get your site noticed and attract more traffic. Use a scheduling software for your content team to ensure that they stick to an editorial calendar. 

6. Use HTML tags to improve your on-page SEO 

WordPress allows you to tweak with your content’s HTML code to maximize its SEO performance. For example, using content header tags (<H1> to <H6>) will help Google identify the hierarchy of information in your blogs and content pages and make it easier for the crawlers to index your page. 

In addition, using a target keyword in a H1 tag and a secondary header will boost your page’s performance. Front-loading these keywords, or using them at the beginning of headings, works best for search rankings. However, you need to ensure that your content and keywords match. Otherwise, Google will flag your tags as irrelevant and penalize you for keyword-stuffing.

Finally, add alt tags (snippets of text that describe the contents and purpose of an image) to any visual content on your site. Writing clear, descriptive alt text will help Google users find your images using relevant long-tail keywords.

7. Utilize internal linking and external backlinks

Internal links that connect your WordPress site pages to one another will help improve SEO and make navigating your site easier and more convenient for users. Strong internal linking creates a hierarchy of information and encourages users to spend more time on your site. A high-traffic page on your site that links to other pages will boost traffic to those pages and increase their authority.

Therefore, use internal links to connect a web page on your WordPress site to another page on the same website to improve SEO and ease site navigation. Depending on the length of your content, you can use 3-5 internal links per piece of content. 

Aside from internal links, backlinks from external sources will also push your site up the search rankings. Linking back from a site with high authority will “pass on” some of that authority to your site and do wonders for your SEO. 

Using a tool like Ahrefs will reveal a lot about your current backlink profile. It can help you find sites to target for backlinks and guest posts to build your profile, too. Ensure that you focus on sites with a strong Domain Rating (DR) and plenty of organic traffic. 

Use the right keywords for your internal and external links, utilizing anchor text optimization to get as much out of them as you can.

8. Use schema and structured data wisely

Adding the right schema (also known as structured data) can significantly improve your click through rate (CTR) by displaying site information that is more relevant to visitors. According to a study by CXL Institute, companies using schema have witnessed a rise in CTR by 35%

You can find numerous WordPress themes with easy schema markup options enabled. You can also add schema to your WordPress site using the free Schema plugin, which automatically adds the required coding. Then test it out using Google’s structured data testing tool

You can add information in categories such as: 

  • Products
  • Authors
  • Organizations
  • Events
  • Local Business
  • FAQs
  • How To
  • Job Postings

…And many more!

Structured data also helps Google and other search engines understand your content easily and display richer and more relevant search results.

9. Optimize your URLs

A well-crafted URL gives users and search engines a clear idea of the page’s content. For example, when you search for “speed up WordPress performance”, these are the top results:

Each of the URLs in these top results give users an indication of what the page is all about, encouraging them to click on it. Adding relevant keywords to your URLs will help your SEO somewhat, but the boost will come mostly from the additional traffic you’ll enjoy when you have understandable and descriptive URLs. 

Resist the temptation to stuff your URLs with keywords or make them too long. Shorter URLs are easier to share and embed in blogs and social media. As much as possible, keep the URL length to fewer than 60 characters, including the domain and extension.

10. Boost your site speed

Website speed affects WordPress SEO and visitors’ user experience. If your website takes more than 4 seconds to load, 1 in 4 people will abandon it. Close to half of users will not return to a website that takes too long to load. 

Ecommerce giant Amazon’s website conversions increase by 2% for each 1 second improvement in page loading time. That proves the importance of site speed. 

Source: LoadStorm

There are many ways to increase your website speed. Decrease the size of images and other media, remove unused links and HTML code, and ensure you choose an appropriate SEO-friendly hosting service. Each action will shave off a few milliseconds from your site’s response time – not much at first glance, but a whole lot of difference when it comes to search performance and bounce rates. 

11. Include target keywords in the opening paragraph

The opening paragraph of a piece of content sets the tone for the rest of the piece, so you need to draw in the user from the first sentence. Search engine crawlers also search for relevant keywords from the top down. When Google finds your target keyword right away, it considers your content relevant to that keyword.

However, you need to be cautious with the number of keywords you use in your opening paragraph. A lot of irrelevant or forced keywords will frustrate users, increasing your bounce rate and doing your SEO more harm than good in the long term.

12. Keep an eye on keyword density

Keyword density refers to the percentage of a piece of content that is made up of target keywords, and it directly affects your website’s search engine ranking. To rank for a specific keyword, you need to use it a certain number of times in your content so that search engines will think your content is relevant to a certain topic. But it’s possible to overdo it, which is why how you structure your article is so important.. 

Yoast suggests a keyword density of 0.5 to 2.5% of keyword density. It is advisable to maintain a keyword density that aligns with the top-ranking content for similar keywords. You can check your present density score using an on-page SEO analyzer offered by various WordPress SEO plugins

13. Add videos to increase dwell time

Dwell time is defined as the total amount of time visitors spend on your website. As it is one of the key ranking factors for Google, you need to encourage users who arrived from organic search results to spend as much time as possible on your website. Adding informative and interesting videos can drive traffic to your website and get users to extend their dwell time. 

Aside from getting users to spend more time on your site, posting videos may also help your site rank in Google video searches. High-quality videos that explain your products, teach users how to get the most out of your services, and solve customer pain points will generate traffic and establish your brand as a credible source of information in your niche.

The bottom line

Performing SEO on your WordPress websites is essential if you want your content to rank well in searches. Fortunately, it’s not too difficult to learn. In fact, WordPress offers many built-in tools that make SEO easier, and the availability of advanced SEO plugins for WordPress gives you more options to enhance your performance even more.

We hope the techniques we’ve discussed help drive traffic to your site and boost your search engine ranking. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different SEO tactics to get the results your site deserves.

 

 

How to write an article that will bring a lot of traffic

Gone are the days when you needed to simply update your site to attract a lot of organic traffic. Such basic tools don’t work now, but with the right strategy, you can still boost your metrics. In this article, we are going to show you some interesting tactical decisions that you should try to take your blog to the next level. The main point is that you should always be flexible — to hire specialists, to try different strategies, to get rid of outdated topics, and so on. Be open to new opportunities, and you’ll surely succeed.

Write about something your audience is really interested in 

Most students hire companies like Studybay when they don’t like their essay topics because they know it is a losing game. Starting your blog, you should write about something that you really like. Passion always serves like a readers’ magnet. But if you feel that it is time to generate something new, you should take your audience’s opinion into account. The world is changing rapidly, and while you’re writing about your favorite music, young TikTokers own your followers. Just because they follow trends.  

So, what can you do?

  • Ask your readers directly;
  • Do research in different social media and find hot trends;
  • Analyze your blog and think about topics that you’ve not written before;
  • Think about collaboration with other bloggers. 

Of course, it doesn’t mean that if your website is about running, you should write about cycling. But what about interesting sports ads that were posted recently? Make brands your friends, and they will bring you a new audience. 

Ask for professional help 

Though your blog is your business, you can collaborate with other people and enter into partnerships that will help you to increase your traffic exponentially. The main point is that you work with people and companies who do something that you can’t.

For example, if you post content just for fun, and now you want to delve deeper, to look for more serious topics, to show your attitude, etc., it would be a good idea to hire a writing service with appropriate experience. These are people who will study your request, analyze your blog and ideas, and write incredible content for you. When your articles are of high quality, interesting, fresh, and unique, people just can’t ignore them.

Try basic SEO tools

If you believe that your content is great, and the only problem is that people don’t see it, you should try search engine optimization (SEO). It is a set of practices that make your blog visible on the Internet. The better you optimize your site, the more followers you can get. 

The most obvious choice is to hire a SEO expert who will conduct an audit and provide you with a plan of action. If you’re ready to invest, choose this way and find a reliable professional. But it doesn’t mean that there are no other solutions that will take you less money.

You can install apps like All in One SEO, Semrush, MozBar, etc. You can also learn more about Google Analytics. These services can give you a score that evaluates the optimization of your site. You can also receive an actionable checklist with tips to follow. For example:

  • Use keywords in your posts;
  • Optimize all links;
  • Link to other articles from your blog;
  • Link to articles from other blogs;
  • Ensure your title, description, and headings are optimized;
  • Write longer articles;
  • Optimize your visual content, etc.

This SEO story may take you some time, but you definitely shouldn’t avoid it if you want your blog to grow.

Experiment with hooks for your audience 

You may think that traffic is just numbers but, in fact, traffic is people. It is your audience that likes or dislikes your content. If you want your readers to share your posts, comment on them, interact with you, and get engaged in any other way, you need to make your content fascinating. There are some ideas that you will appreciate:

Infographics

If you want to communicate some concepts in your blog, it would be great to add quality infographics that can hook your readers. Even the most valuable data and statistics are dull, but you can change the way your audience perceives it. And you don’t even need to hire a graphic designer, there are many free or cheap tools like Canva and Crello that will help you to create visual content.

Memes

Memes are funny, easy to make, and, what is most important, they are viral. People don’t share smart articles, they share something that their friends can laugh at. Use online generators to add your text to common meme images. However, it is very important that you don’t overdo it. When your mood hits, you can meme the funny idea, but you shouldn’t create memes all the time. Use them like icing on the cake but don’t forget that your cake should be delicious as well.

Reviews

If you want to make your content useful and attractive, write articles with titles like “10 best romantic movies to watch this summer” or “5 books that changed my life”. People like lists, and they like it when somebody provides them with recommendations. Share your opinion on the content you digest so that your site becomes more vigorous. It would also be a great idea to ask your readers to share their favorite movies, books, songs, etc., and to compile their ideas in your articles. 

Ask for feedback

If you have been analyzing your blog for a while and can’t understand what is wrong, it is because you’re biased. Most content creators consider their sites to be impeccable because they consider them to be their children, raised from birth. And if you don’t want to hire third-party auditors to provide you with some recommendations, you can just ask your audience.

Write a post with your reflection on this issue, and your honesty will surely attract a lot of traffic since people like it when bloggers become closer. Besides, you’ll receive more interesting hints from your subscribers.

You can also conduct a small survey with questions and make it anonymously. Gather any kind of feedback you receive and analyze it to come up with new solutions.

It is essential to remember that running a blog is a continuous job that never ends. You have to follow the trends and be flexible if you want to stay aboard! 

Recording screen software that works best in recording school work, work, and more

Are you looking for the best software to use for recording schoolwork or work information? Do you want your recording to look professional and sophisticated? Then Domyhomework123.com will help you get the best software in the market for that job. Passing information as a visual presentation has been proven to make the presentation more understandable and also memorable. It is due to these reasons that I have combined a list of software that will help you make you create a professional video. So that the information on your project or Youtube will be well understood.

 

OBS Studio

It is open-source software that helps you stream video and also record video across platforms. It is my number one pick because it has great streaming abilities and it is also very efficient when it comes to recording videos.

Why is it powerful?

It gives the user immense power to choose the part of the screen they want to capture. The user can capture the whole screen or just a part of the screen. It also allows you to record information from apps and browsers of all kinds. Hence making it a powerful software when it comes to recording tutorials or documenting.

The app also allows the user to manipulate the way the video looks. They can choose to change the themes by adding filters or how the video transitions. You can also add audio to make the video more interesting. It grants access to other audio sources to ensure you get the music you want for your video.

If you are not yet convinced about getting the OBS studios application then here is another feature. It contains an API software that allows the user to write plugins and scripts. The app is also open source meaning you can manipulate the application itself in whichever way you deem necessary. Such features make this application stand out amongst other apps.

The application is free of charge and comes in Windows, Linux, and Mac versions.

Loom

It is an application that lets you record and shares your screen recordings easily. The apps work as a messaging app too. The app has a user-friendly user interface. The user only needs to create an account, then choose between the desktop version or the Chrome version, and they are good to go.

Why is it powerful?

The app has webcam access which allows the user to record videos directly from their webcam. It helps the user personalize their video hence catching the audiences’ attention better. You can also use the app to capture static screenshots.

The app has one feature that makes it stand out while compared to the other apps. It has a high transfer speed of videos. The user can transfer the video to their audience, immediately after they complete the recording. All they need to do is copy the provided link for the video and then send it to the recipient. Once the link is received, whoever clicks on it gains access to the video. The apps hence make transferring videos via messaging apps, emails, and project managing apps easy. The recipient can also react by providing a comment or by using an emoji.

The apps offer free recording for a hundred screenshots and videos. Once you have exhausted your free screenshots and videos, you can choose to upgrade to the Loom business package. For only ten dollars per month, you get unlimited recording time and other annotation features.

Screen-O-Matic

It is an app that gives the user ability to record, host, and edit screen captures. The app provides all the recording screen features, it provides partial screen recording, webcam footages, and it also takes a screenshot. The app also has other extra advanced features that include adding music to one’s videos and adding annotations.

Why is it powerful?

The app provides many editing tools that help the user make their video more presentable. Screen-O-Matic has a green screen filter, trimming silence, and even animation transitions. The apps help you make your video stand out without even using other video editors.

It also provides a hosting solution to the user. So if you hate downloading your video, then using more time to upload the video to your blog, then this is the application you need. It helps you post your videos directly from the app itself to any social media platform or blog.

The application offers fifteen minutes of free recording time with a watermark embedded on the video. You can later choose to upgrade to the Deluxe package that offers annotation and editing features for only twenty dollars a year. It comes in Windows, Android, Chromebook, iOS, and Mac versions.

Inbuilt alternatives

If you do not want to go through the hassle of downloading any of the websites listed on this website. Then there are some in-built alternatives.

  1. People using Mac operating systems can use the Quick-Time inbuilt software to record their screens.
  2. People using Windows ten can use a feature found on the game bar.

Conclusion

Presenting your work as an audiovisual presentation makes it more interesting and memorable. The applications mentioned on this website help you make professional videos in the comfort of your home.

Future Of CRM Market

Any commercial company is primarily interested in the sale of products and services, and for this, it is necessary to work especially carefully with clients. This task is performed by CRM programs, which have become an indispensable component of larger modern ERP complexes, thus representing a new generation of control systems.

The global CRM market is expected to grow from 58.04 billion USD in 2021 to 128.97 billion (at a CAGR of 12.1%) from 2021 to 2028.

In the conditions of industrial enterprises, the function of CRM subsystems is to organize effective interaction with customers, the purpose of which is to increase profits from the sale of finished products. But to do everything right, you need to understand what functionality this system has and when it will be helpful to opt for custom CRM system development in your business. So that you can better understand this issue, we have prepared this article for you.

What Is CRM?

CRM-system is any software that helps you successfully control work with clients and organize and plan it.Even if you keep a history of calls and contacts on paper or in Excel, it can be regarded as a CRM system if the developed accounting and control scheme works and allows you to control all options for interacting with customers. Of course, such accounting methods are a thing of the past because it is difficult to imagine the work of any business without effective automation in the modern world. Therefore, when they talk about a CRM system, they usually mean special software.

Who Needs CRM?

Before choosing a CRM system, you need to understand whether your business needs it. CRM systems are essential for any business that works directly with customers and seeks to expand the number of buyers.

What is Customer Relationship Management System Used For?

SaaS CRM is a ready-made solution that you can use to build your own system and automate the workflow. Each CRM system is the embodiment of the developers’ vision of how to work with a client. It contains many ready-made tools that allow you to take your work to a qualitatively new level.

For example, the integration of a CRM system with telephony allows you to record all calls, remember all new contacts and analyze the quality of the sales department’s work with leads.

Improve Customer Service by supporting and satisfying them.

Increase Sales by personalizing communication

Smarter Offers by being in close touch with your prospects and concentrating on promising leads

Automate Processes by standardizing workflows allows you to get an accurate picture of the interaction with the client

In addition, storage on a single server protects against loss or damage to information.

CRM Key Features

Implementing a CRM system allows you to get a tool/assistant and a view of the developers on how the sales department should work. In turn, when developing a CRM system, they usually rely on best practices on experts in working with clients. And therefore, if you actively use the tools provided by the CRM system, then the work of your sales department will also be optimized. Various system tools themselves suggest what steps should be taken in the process of optimizing work with clients.

Contact Management

CRM system stores unified client and competitors database which allows building business more efficiently. All information is unique, and duplication is excluded.

Managing Interaction With Customers

The CRM system allows forming a precise picture of interaction with each customer, which helps analyze future clients’ needs using the data provided within the system.

Managing Potential And Closed Deals

CRM allows controlling the process of each purchase and makes estimations of future sales.

With CRM, it is easy to organize the reporting of the sales department. In “manual mode,” accurate accounting is based on two types of data: the level of paid orders and the shipment of goods.

In reality, other mechanisms are involved in the sales mechanism:

  •  the degree of processing of incoming leads
  •  number of refusals and returns
  •  the efficiency of the sales department
  •  the number of incoming applications.

Customer relationship management software is designed to help streamline the work of the sales department. Still, it can also be used to solve other tasks, such as social media management, lead/contact management, customer support, email marketing campaigns, email subscriptions, subscribers to email newsletters, and so on.

Managing Tasks

It is required that your CRM allows you to plan, set tasks and reminders. An excellent feature to have is implementing an automatic task setting service.

Marketing management

The company uses up to a dozen separate applications and services to work with clients. CRM becomes the platform that connects them, and you get complex data to assess the stages of sales.

Planning

Using calendars within the system, users can plan their and their colleagues’ work more efficiently.

Generating Reports

The system has in its toolkit a rather powerful analytical tool that allows users to build reports in various areas and plan the future work of the company.

Managing accesses

Managing managers’ access to specific clients and related transactions. Visual display of the stages of work with the ability to highlight the most problematic areas where there is an opportunity to intervene.

Analytical capabilities Of CRM systems

  •  Determine employee efficiency based on the ratio of time spent and successfully closed deals
  •  Compare the dynamics of sales and costs in different periods
  •  Determine the seasonality of the product depending on the indicators of demand throughout the year

Artificial intelligence In CRM

Machine learning is used in CRM systems to automate the following tasks:

– creating and filling in customer cards from email messages, social networks

– voice input of data into the client’s card

– translation of records of telephone conversations into text

– auto-recommendations for the next step in working with a client

– determining the likelihood of closing a deal (priority of clients)

– forecasting sales volumes

A CRM system is not a one-size-fits-all solution, though, thanks to its functions, all business processes are brought together and conveniently displayed in one field. This includes correspondence with customers, phone calls made, orders completed. Information on each client is also available immediately. The convenience of working with such functionality is beyond doubt.

SaaS E-Learning Trends

 

Credit: Alamy/PureStock

The use of e-learning software tools reached a nadir during the 2020 worldwide pandemic. Billions of students were forced to use SaaS e-learning platforms to continue their studies during the lockdown. This explosion in new users was an unexpected stress test for online e-learning software. While there were some early hiccups with the widespread roll-out of SaaS e-learning, many platforms performed far better than expected. The unexpected success of these e-learning platforms meant educators and software developers started looking at how SaaS could be integrated into the future of education. These are some of the ways that SaaS e-learning platforms could transform the ways students learn in 2021 and beyond.

H2 – Curriculum As A Community

The concept of community-as-a-resource in education began to gain traction in the early 2000s. The idea that the community-at-large was pivotal in a student’s education was something that many teachers and educators embraced. Creating a curriculum through collaboration and dialogue with students as well as community members was soon seen as a way to give students a well-rounded education.

This concept has found a home in the digital age as well. With schools closed and social contact prohibited during the pandemic, there was no better way to foster an online digital community than through e-learning platforms. These platforms were built to connect students and teachers in unconventional ways (through video-conferencing, message boards, chat rooms, etc.) so that students felt involved in their education.

As a result, many experts believe that this grass-roots, student-centered approach to learning may remain well after the pandemic is over. The skills and tools are already there. Educators must only follow through with their commitment and bring in more voices to craft curriculums that take into account a student’s already-established network of fellow students, parents, and community members.

H2 – Interactive Videos

With students glued to their screens for most of the day, it became imperative to not make online learning feel like a chore. The way that educators sought to counter screen fatigue was to turn their students from passive viewers to active participants. The introduction of interactive videos that paired visual stimuli with real-world activities was one way to achieve this level of participation.

In a regular classroom setting, students interact only with their teacher, each other, and their learning material. But, in a virtual classroom, students had much more to interact with. If their teachers were insightful enough, these students could be treated to dynamic visual presentations that made learning more interesting. These interactive videos went beyond being one-way.

They expanded on the subject matter, asked students to reflect more on their lesson, or presented new information in a way that was challenging and entertaining. As students and teachers have adapted to these new media options and learned to embrace them, they may come to rely on them even when schools are reopened.

H2 – Microlearning

There is only so much information a student’s mind can retain. Micro-learning acknowledges that limitation and works around it by reducing the amount of information a student receives about a given topic. But, micro-learning does not stop there. Rather than satiating student’s curiosity, micro-learning doses are meant to encourage their hunger for knowledge.

During the pandemic, teachers worried that students would be overwhelmed by trying to maintain a regular classroom workload. Instead, educators focused on short, 5-minute lessons that drove home the basics of a topic, leaving the students interested enough to explore the topic further on their own time. Micro-learning has wider applications as well.

Large companies and organizations could also employ micro-learning tactics to train their employees without overburdening them. The tools for effective micro-learning could be anything from a social media post, an infographic, a chart, or a relevant image that delivers a morsel of information to ingest whenever possible.

H2 – Mobile-Friendly Online Course Platforms

E-learning software tools came to the rescue in 2020. Without them, billions of students and teachers would have been without a platform to learn, collaborate and interact while schools were closed. Unfortunately, the problem with this transition was not the e-learning development software, but the fact that some students did not have access to the hardware (laptops) or infrastructure (broadband high-speed internet) to use them properly.

Luckily, the ubiquity of smartphones and mobile learning applications and their offline capabilities stepped in to fill the gap. The freedom and mobility that smartphones gave students meant that they could download assignments from areas with a good internet connection and then use them offline with the help of a mobile learning app like Quizlet or Notability. They could also read and view PDF documents with the mobile version of the LuminPDF reader.

The fact that many students are already savvy smartphone users also meant that the learning curve (if any at all) to use these new applications was dramatically flattened. As the number of global smartphone users approaches three billion, the devices present educators with an opportunity to reach more students to provide high-quality educational content they could not receive otherwise.

H2 – Virtual Conferences

Like it or not, 2020 was the year of the virtual conference. There was no other way to communicate on a massive or, even, intimate scale than through virtual meetings supported by teleconferencing platforms like Zoom or Skype. While virtual conferencing was not the ideal format for remote learning, teachers and students learned to adapt and found ways to make virtual platforms helpful.

Some students felt empowered when attending a virtual meeting or conference, as every student could speak and be heard. Where some students found it hard to participate during in-class discussions, those same students found it much easier to give input during online, virtual conferences with their fellow students and teachers.

The fact that important academic, social, and political events also took place virtually during the pandemic lends credence to the idea that these types of meetings could continue taking place virtually. Virtual conferences could offset or even eliminate the expense of hosting these events and diminish the carbon footprint of all these people traveling to one place to do something that could be done online.

 

 

Credit: iStock/Sidekick