Author: OneVirtual Solutions

Although it’s an essential part of an online marketing strategy, a successful business website takes a lot of time and effort to build. Not only that, but it also requires the right resources and skills to establish a brand’s online presence. It’s no wonder why businesses spend a bulk of their resources on web development.

 

Then again, even if you build an effective website for your brand, you would still encounter several issues that will keep you from reaching your online marketing goals. You will need to solve these issues first in order to get the best possible results. 

That said, let us take a look at five common web development problems and how to resolve them.

This remains a common issue among small businesses seeking to establish their brands online. Achieving a higher web traffic volume will depend primarily on how much you spend for equipping your website with all the right features. The cost of web development can vary depending on the complexity of the project. A customizable web template, for instance, will cost you extra along with the needed widgets for an e-commerce website. 

Small businesses will have to utilize whatever resources they have in building websites that provide added value. You definitely need to set a realistic budget and spend only for tools and widgets that align with the objectives of your online marketing strategy. By focusing on your specific goals, you will find it easier to manage your finances and avoid spending on the widgets and features you don’t need.

 

Launching your website is crucial to the success of your online efforts. Without adequate preparation, however, your website will not be able to get the exposure it needs to attract initial visitors.

The best way to get around this problem is to test your website first. You should be able to resolve bugs and make improvements to your website’s functionality before launching. It also helps if you simplify the design to make online navigation easier for your clients. 

 

People will want to gain access to your website and try to steal crucial information about you and your business. There are those who resort to damaging your website altogether. Cybercrime has cost millions of dollars in damages over the years, making it a serious problem that businesses shouldn’t ignore.

You should be able to back up your website and install the right online security plugins. Other than that, you need to secure your website’s coding and avoid exposing critical information about your business.

 

The design of your website is crucial for retaining visitors who might want to purchase a product or service. Without a compelling design, you would give potential customers enough reason to leave your site and look for the products and services they need elsewhere.

As soon as you know that your website is suffering from a design problem, you will have to get rid of specific elements or overhauling your website’s appearance. From there, you can identify the right color schemes and graphics that will engage your audience.

 

Now that you’ve got the website’s foundation up, you will need to make continuous improvements. Often, the issue here is the use of analytics for supporting your main goals online. This could be addressed by identifying the metrics you need to track so you can continually optimize your website’s performance.

When you plan for a website, you will need to determine your key performance indicators. Will you be focusing more on getting as much traffic as possible, or on closing as many e-commerce sales as possible? It becomes easier for you to maintain your website when you have the right numbers in mind.

 

Web development has its hurdles, but you can easily overcome them when you’re already aware of the issues affecting the success of your business’ website.

Another approach is to hire a web development team that offers cost-effective solutions to establishing and maintaining your online presence.

Contact us today and see how we can help you with your web development problems.

You should know by now that the key ingredients to a successful website include an intuitive design and an effective SEO strategy. However, there is one important component in your online marketing strategy you wouldn’t want to overlook as it defines how you’re going to compete with other businesses online.

 

Web analytics lets you measure the performance of your website, identify issues that keep it from producing the results you want, and make the desired changes which will add value to your online marketing activities.

Other than that, using data from web analytics can also help you understand your audience better in terms of how they behave and interact with the content you produce. 

Being an important source of marketing intelligence, web analytics can provide you with insights that will help improve your online presence and engagement with your audience. You only have to focus on the metrics that are crucial towards enhancing your online marketing activities:

 

Bounce Rate

When people visit your website, they expect to find value in what they see and read. For sure, visitors who don’t have a good experience with your website tend to “bounce” away. You will know if your website is performing poorly in retaining potential customers if the bounce rate is too high. 

In this sense, it becomes easier to identify what’s wrong with your website by tracking the bounce rate on a weekly basis. Possibly, the loading time has to be sped up or the content has to be revised and made more relevant and valuable to your audience. 

 

Traffic sources

 

This metric tells you how your visitors are able to engage your website. People could enter via organic search, direct search, referrals, or through social media. These sources will guide you on how you can get not just visitors, but clients who are actively looking for your products or services. 

If a large chunk of your web traffic comes from organic searches, then you probably have an effective SEO strategy in place. This should prompt you to improve your SEO efforts further so you can get more qualified clients.

 

Unique visits

You know your business gets plenty of exposure if it attracts unique visitors every day. While the number of returning visitors indicates brand loyalty, the chances of getting more sales closes will depend mostly on how much new traffic your website is able to generate. This could mean that your SEO activities are paying off. 

On the other hand, you might want to improve your online promotional activities or improve your keyword strategy if the number of unique visits is lower than the number of returning visits.

 

Conversion rate

Of course, visitors will only scout your website for information that matters to them. However, if you’re aiming to produce customers through your website, you will have to optimize it for conversions. This is where the conversion rate comes in. This metric allows you to measure your website’s capacity to get people to take a specific action, whether it’s to purchase a product or subscribe to a mailing list. 

A high conversion rate means that your website is generating the right results. If the number falls below 40% on average, then you might want to update the text content of your webpages or consider a major redesign when necessary. 

 

Web traffic

This has to be the most basic and yet the most important metric that businesses should keep track of. A healthy website has to generate a constant stream of web traffic. The more visits you get, the higher your chances are of closing a sale. Web traffic is also a good indicator of the effectiveness of your online engagement activities. 

These metrics are crucial to the success of your online marketing efforts. Still, you may need the expertise of an outsourced web development team to interpret these numbers and help you improve your online presence.

 

OneVirtual Solutions is here to provide you with full-stack web development services so you would be better equipped to unlock more opportunities online. 

Contact us today!

If you haven’t created a website for your small business yet, then you’re missing out on plenty of opportunities to expand before the year ends!

Despite the fact that 46% of small businesses in 2018 didn’t have an online presence, websites remain an important ingredient for success in any market. This comes as more and more people rely on websites to decide on purchasing a product or service. 

Websites will become even more prevalent to business in the coming years. NASDAQ predicts that about 95% of all consumer purchases would be made online by 2040.

You’re probably thinking of building a website for your small business right now. Surely, you’re not too late to develop your online presence.

For the second half of 2019, focus on getting these essentials that will make your brand’s web presence stand out.

 

People are using their mobile devices to learn about and purchase the products they want. Sure enough, at least 72% of internet users are more likely to engage websites that could be viewed through a tablet or smartphone. If your website looks good on both devices, then first-time users are likely to return and finalize their purchases.

 

In recent years, Google’s search algorithm has become even more rigid as it puts more focus on the need for quality content that users would find helpful. For your business to outrank the competition, it’s crucial to invest time and resources on creating engaging blog posts, videos, and other online marketing material aimed at addressing specific needs. This should go along with a search engine optimization strategy that uses longtail keywords and improves your website’s quality score.

 

Getting an SSL certificate shouldn’t be an afterthought, especially when you’re building an e-commerce website that uses a payment portal. Customers need to know whether you’re a verified company or not, so an SSL certificate lets them know that you comply with internet security standards and that their identity is safe from phishing attacks and theft.

 

Web design has come a long way. In the past, businesses opted to put as much information as they can on their webpages. Nowadays, less is better. Today’s websites are carefully thought-out with more emphasis on navigability and effective website copy. Another factor is site speed. Websites that take more than three seconds to load are less effective in terms of converting the right people. By reducing your HTTP requests and compressing your images, you will be able to manage websites that attract more leads and help you get more conversions.

With these elements in place, you will be able to run a website that helps you with realizing your overall business goals.

You only need to hire a reliable and experienced web development team that will provide the expertise needed to support your online presence.

Contact us today and we’ll make sure your website is fully equipped in generating more sales!

Happy Independence Day! 

To celebrate the Fourth of July, here are seven famous quotes about freedom and how it can be nurtured to help you with your business goals. 

 

If you were perfect in almost everything you did, you wouldn’t have anything else to aim for.

After all, being human means making mistakes, and being able to learn from that and improve.

 

Have you taken the time to think about the kind of business you want to build? Brands undergo several transformations before they settle with an authentic identity. So, once you are able to make good use of your time and resources, you will be able to provide value to your customers and grow your influence. 

 

Of course, it’s not enough that you know why you’re in business in the first place. This should have you looking inward and discovering the improvements you will have to make for your business to keep pushing forward.

 

Freedom doesn’t mean you’re entirely free of responsibility. At the same time, you can’t have freedom if you’re not willing to admit your mistakes and come up with a possible solution for it. As a leader, you will have to face every challenge that comes your way, especially if it means pushing an organization forward.

 

In order to have freedom, you must be able to earn it in the first place. Much like managing a small business, you can never reap any reward if you always expect a free lunch. Hard work and determination matters more than simply being ambitious.

 

Fortune favors the bold…or so it’s been said. In business, you’ve got to step up in order to rise up. You will have to be bold enough to take risks. After all, your success could very well be found outside your comfort zone.

 

At times, you might want to give your employees enough freedom to come up with new processes all on their own. The modern workplace thrives on creativity and innovation, so give everyone at the office enough space to develop ideas that could drive your business forward.

As we celebrate Independence Day, let us take the time to value the creativity and passion that resulted from our love of freedom!

 

Artificial intelligence has become an important modern innovation, especially in crucial sectors such as engineering and healthcare. The uptick in the demand for automated systems and tools in these sectors will likely cause the global market for AI-driven software solutions to reach $118.6 billion by 2025, according to Statista.

Not everyone welcomes this as a positive development though. While businesses begin to realize the value automation brings to the bottom line, some experts paint a bleaker future, particularly for the local business process outsourcing industry in the Philippines.

Much of the criticism against AI technology is anchored on the notion that it would significantly reduce employment. On a global scale, automation could lead to the replacement of close to “40% of the world’s jobs,” according to this Fortune article. In addition, AI could also “disrupt entire communities and disproportionately affect low-income workers” as machines begin to assume the roles of chauffeurs, chefs, and telemarketers.  

Writing for Iot for All, Leverage.com’s Calum McClelland mentions how the transition to a more automated society “might be a painful one,”, especially for many blue-collar and white-collar workers who will need to adapt to a more digitally-driven environment. Workers in the BPO sector, in particular, will have to face a future where much of their tasks are better off handled by AI.  

According to Asian Institute of Management professor Christopher Monterola, over 800,000 workers in the Philippines are on the brink of losing their jobs as AI technology begins to gain ground in the local business landscape. Worse, the Department of Information and Communications Technology expects AI to affect about “48% of employees in the Philippines.”

These observations prove how much of a threat AI has become to workers with specialist skills. And while it’s almost impossible to divert businesses away from automating their activities, several ways could help address this inescapable threat.

Like many inventions before it, AI could be a tool that could help enrich the human workforce by introducing new specialist areas. In this sense, AI will not necessarily get rid of jobs altogether, but it will open up exciting vistas for the current and future labor force.

McClelland’s solution is for us to “invest in the education and infrastructure needed to support people as many current jobs are eliminated and we transition to this new future.”

Focus on tech-intensive fields such as computer science and software engineering should encourage upskilling as a viable strategy for reducing AI’s impact on local talent pools. The Philippine BPO sector, in this case, should prioritize upskilling as an important adaptive strategy.

Upgrading current skills and acquiring new ones is crucial to 49 percent of the country’s labor force, according to Monterola. BPO workers will have to acquire new skills to remain employable.

One thing’s for sure, there are still activities that are best handled by humans. Graphic design and other creative components of digital marketing are just some of the many career options that automation will not replace as these require human creativity.

We know for sure how AI is going to impact the BPO sector. Workers will just have to look for avenues where they can grow professionally and acquire the skills they need to survive the shift toward a more AI-driven world.

The world of BPO is fast-changing and workers in this sector shouldn’t get left behind in terms of skills. For this, look for a company that equips you with the relevant skills to help you in your career path.

In a Harvard Business Review article, entrepreneurs are more prone to burnout than most of us would assume. This is because “they tend to be extremely passionate about work and more socially isolated, have limited safety nets, and operate in high uncertainty.”

With the extra hours they put in for work, entrepreneurs experience high levels of stress as they struggle with maintaining a healthy balance between the home and the office.  

However, entrepreneurs will dedicate more time to work as their businesses grow. The effects of burnout worsen and the absence of safeguards can only amplify the physical and emotional toll they bring.

Burnout can derail your business, but with these tips in mind, you will be able to get back on the path to expansion.

Get Enough Sleep

Time is a precious resource. We get that, but should we really sacrifice ample sleep just so we can spare a few extra hours for work? Without adequate rest, you would fall victim to burnout. Other than that, an Inc.com article says that lack of sleep can ruin your charisma. You won’t be able to infuse your staff with the energy and passion they need to raise the business’ productivity. On the other hand, business leaders who are well-rested encourage a more positive atmosphere that allows employees to work vigorously.

Go on an uninterrupted retreat

If you let yourself be overwhelmed by stress, you will be abandoning your work while your business is growing. Don’t let it come to this. If you’re feeling the slightest hints of burnout, it’s time that you go on a well-deserved vacation – a real vacation where you don’t check your emails for anything related to work. Focus on pampering yourself during your “me” time and you would come back feeling rejuvenated.

Delegate Your Tasks

Some business leaders prefer to manage every little detail of their organizations. Though micromanaging has its benefits, it leaves you little room for rest. Then again, you can always keep your business running smoothly without causing burnout. You only need to let your secretaries, supervisors, or team leaders handle minor tasks. Doing so enables you to reduce your workload and avoid stressing yourself out.

Draw the Line Between the Office and Home

Entrepreneurs shouldn’t let work get in the way of spending quality time with the family. Pursuing an ideal work-life balance is still crucial to keeping business leaders motivated, so it’s best not to miss out on family activities like reunions or movie nights. After all, your growing business has allowed you to nurture a family you wouldn’t want to replace with anything else.

Outsource Your Most Complex Tasks

As your business grows, you will need to hire more people and adopt the tools you need to keep the momentum going. However, you still have to face issues such as finding the right talents and acquiring the right equipment. Instead of burning yourself out in dealing with these issues, you might as well go the easier route by hiring virtual assistants for your business. From digital marketing to web design, virtual assistant services provide you with an effective solution to meet the growing needs of your business.

Avoid Burnout with a Remote Team from OneVirtual Solutions!

Want to avoid burnout? OneVirtual Solutions provides virtual assistant services that cater to your specific needs. Get started by scheduling a consultation. Click here.

Recently, S&P has increased the Philippines’ investment grade to BBB+, two notches above the minimum rating.

This is the highest score the country has received since 2013. Local economic managers attributed the upgrade to policy priorities as well as key economic growth drivers such as the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector.

The upgrade is expected to stimulate investment and generate new jobs across crucial growth sectors such as the services industry.

How will this impact the BPO sector which is expected (along with other factors) to transform the country into a trillion-dollar economy by 2032?

 

With sustained growth efforts and lower borrowing costs, the country will be able to fund more infrastructure as well as upgrade existing facilities. Along with the government’s current tax reform program and its ambitious infrastructure development initiatives, the country is poised to introduce more opportunities for domestic industries to thrive. Local BPOs, which accounted for at least $10.4 billion in foreign receipts, are expected to feel the impact of strong investment fundamentals. The S&P upgrade will no doubt encourage expansion and reinforce local outsourcing companies to innovate the products and services they are selling.

 

 

The resulting spike in investments will bolster job growth and supply the current business environment with quality talents. As spending for schools continues to pick up in light of the country’s transition to a K-12 system, such factors will support the country’s recent implementation of the Free College Education Law which is said to benefit 800,000 students enrolling in state universities and colleges this year. The rating upgrade can help in expanding the benefits of the law and capacitating a large labor force that’s capable of meeting global outsourcing standards.

 

 

The demand for office space remains robust, especially in the BPO sector where there is a dearth in local commercial real estate inventories. The government has already drafted plans for designated economic zones in strategic areas outside of Metro Manila. Iloilo City, for instance, has been earmarked for public projects to improve the area’s business attractiveness, with homegrown companies such as OneVirtual Solutions already feeling the effects of positive economic growth at the local level.

 

As the current business landscape continues to improve, BPO companies will become better equipped in delivering quality services to clients and maintaining the country’s current position as a sought-after market for outsourced services.

If you’re looking to expand your business, look for a Filipino company that offers not just contact center services but also virtual assistant services that cater to your specific needs. Start here.

Using cleaning business platforms is the best investment you can make this year. There is a good reason for this.

A press release by Allied Market Research expects the demand for cleaning solutions to grow rapidly. By 2022, the global cleaning industry will have grown by $74 million. This will be due to attributed to growing household incomes and a rise in new building constructions.

In keeping up with this ever-expanding sector, businesses will have to focus more on increasing their productivity. For that, they will need to use the right tools for managing cleaning schedules, promoting their services, and keeping customers satisfied.

Here are the top five cleaning business platforms to use this year? 

Our List of the Best Cleaning Business Platforms

Launch27

Image source: www. launch27.com

You don’t have to develop and manage your own booking system. With Launch27, you can give your website visitors a simple and convenient way to schedule and pay for one-time and recurring cleanups. It includes a smart calendar that sends out auto-reminders and shows real-time availability. In addition, the platform integrates seamlessly with your website so you don’t have to spend a lot of time getting it ready.

 

ZenMaid

Image source: Zenmaid (www.vimeo.com)

As the name implies, this platform is ideal for achieving a more relaxed and less hectic way of running a cleaning business. Described as a cloud-based scheduling platform, ZenMaid enables you to manage every aspect of your operations, from managing work orders and customer follow-ups to scheduling appointments through a simple booking form. All in all, it’s a great tool for getting plenty of work done without running into any costly errors.

 

Jobber

Image source: www.getapp.com

When setting up a self-service platform, convenience has to be the most important benefit you can give your potential clients. Jobber has the right features for your cleaning business. It allows you to easily prepare cleaning quotes, track invoices, assign tasks, and prepare schedules based on your clients’ needs. Simply put, Jobber is a valuable all-in-one tool for improving the efficiency and profitability of your cleaning business.

 

Hubstaff

Image source: www.hubstaff.com

Managing your cleaners is tough work, but it’s also something that Hubstaff does so well. The platform has an online time-tracking system that lets you see the hours your employees put in. For better transparency, a geofencing feature allows you to automatically count the hours your cleaners spend on site. There’s also an online scheduling system that lets you assign teams to available slots so you can reduce cases of overlaps, making for a systematic and error-free way of managing your cleaning business.

 

Responsibid

Image source: www.capterra.com

To get quality sales for your services, you need a platform that gives customers numerous options for making a purchase. Responsibid optimizes your sales cycle by helping you generate accurate quotes online and offline. Its biggest selling point is its ability to engage customers who want a specific service. Aside from being a great tool for upselling, Responsibid can also send you automatic follow-ups to people who requested a quote but were unable to schedule a cleaning.

 

There are many more platforms worth mentioning, but the ones listed above have worked so well for many of our clients in the commercial and residential cleaning industry.

If you’re interested, we can help you set up the apps and integrations you need to support your cleaning business. Contact us today and see how our virtual assistants can help you realize the growth of your cleaning business.

There are currently 875,000 registered cleaning companies in the United States alone. If your business is among them, competing for a better position in the market should be your main objective. It can get difficult unless you use the right strategies for getting more bookings.

Here’s a quick rundown of the things you should be doing to market your offers and generate more clients.

 

Nothing adds legitimacy to your business quite like a short positive review from an existing client. You may need to list down the names of your long-time clients and send emails asking for their feedback about your services. Pick the best of these reviews and display them on your site. Indeed, adding social proof will improve your brand’s presence and get more people to sign up for your services.

 

According to Social Media Today, marketers who use videos grow revenue 49% faster than non-video users. Moreover, at least 52% of marketing professionals are leveraging video’s potential for providing high ROI. Your cleaning company shouldn’t get left behind. You can produce informative videos to enhance your credibility and influence. You can also talk about tips and other helpful topics about cleaning to draw in potential clients. 

 

What’s another way to reel in new clients for your cleaning business? From a homeowner’s point of view, a discount or a freebie can easily get you hooked. Special promotions are a surefire approach to attracting the right customers, although you need to ensure your business is in the right position to make such offers. If it is, then you may need to highlight these offers on your website and through traditional means such as flyers and radio ads.

 

The market for cleaning services is very broad, meaning that your closest competitors may have missed a few high-opportunity niches. You can take this opportunity to aggressively push products and services that other cleaning companies have yet to offer. For instance, if you’re living in a neighborhood where there’s a high concentration of environmentally conscious homeowners and entrepreneurs, you should focus more on promoting your green cleaning service. Better act fast before your competitors corner this niche.

 

The lack of resources and skill are undoubtedly the most critical issues many cleaning companies face. These will make it hard to build a marketing campaign from the ground up, let alone form a marketing team from the ground up. But did you know you can still market your services without the need of an in-house marketing department? Hiring a capable service provider is one way you can improve the efficiency of your core marketing tasks, including website maintenance, blogging, social media marketing, among others.

Need help putting your commercial or residential cleaning business front and center? OneVirtual Solutions has worked with many companies in the industry, making it a reliable partner for growth. Contact us today!