Tag: small

In this blog post, we are going to share a list of the best graphic design apps for small businesses for 2023. In this list, we have featured some freemium as well as paid business design software.

If you want to make your business stand out amongst the crowd, you need to focus on branding. If you are already an established business, you can hire a third-party company to help you brand your business. However, this doesn’t seem possible if you are just starting your business journey.

Luckily, with the help of social media and graphic designing apps, you can create eye-catching logos, banners, infographics, and more that can help you make your business more visible and unique without costing too much in your pocket.

So, without any further ado, let’s get started.

The 6 Best Graphic Design Apps for Small Business in 2023

1. Canva

Website: https://www.canva.com/

With over 60 million monthly active users and an overall valuation of $40 billion, Canva is without a doubt one of the most popular online graphic design software. Canva is a web-based tool that also has native apps available for Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS.

Many people consider Canva as a tool that can be used for online image editing, but that’s not true. Canva isn’t restricted to image editing only. Instead, you can use it to design mockups, banners, printables, invoices, flyers, and more.

Pros of Canva

• The free version of Canva is good enough for basic needs, and you can use the free account to use Canva for as long as you want with limited access to features. Plus, Canva offers a free program for educational and nonprofit organizations.
• Canva comes with a bunch of photo effects that can help you edit and improve the photos instantly. You can add effects, filters, and more very easily.
• Canva has a massive library of over 75 million photos and videos, along with over 420,000 pre-designed templates. Even though you can use some of the content of this library with a free plan, you need to opt for the premium plan for unlimited access.
• Canva features an element section where you get a good collection of icons, stickers, charts, grids, shapes, gradients, and more.
• The font library of Canva has a good number of fonts designed for a different type of needs. However, you can upload your own fonts, too, with the pro plan, but you will be required to provide the license.
• The drag and drop editor, paired with a massive library of templates, makes it extremely easy to design beautiful-looking posters, banners, infographics, and other things. This makes it the best app to design flyers and other things.
• Whether you want to design a business card, newsletter, certificate, website, flyers, or anything, Canva has templates designed for almost every occasion.
• Canva also features functions that can be used to create animated images for social media.
• Canva can also be used to maintain your social media pages as you can schedule posts. You just have to link your social media accounts with Canva, and Canva will automatically publish for you at the scheduled time.
• Canva features a content planner that can be used to plan your design-related work.
• There is a brand kit function where you can save fonts, color schemes, logos, and more so that you have a consistent look across all of your designs.

Cons of Canva

• Canva has a good collection of prebuilt designs and elements such as lines, shapes, and more, but it doesn’t let you design elements from scratch.
• The photo editing tool is very basic. It is good for basic editing, but if you want a tool for professional-level editing, Canva would not be a good choice.

2. Adobe Photoshop

Website: https://www.adobe.com/

Adobe Photoshop is the best app for graphic design and image manipulation. Since this photo editing software comes with dozens of advanced editing options such as layered image editing, drawing, thousands of effects, typography, and more, it is quite popular amongst professional graphic designers and photographers.

The best thing about Adobe Photoshop is that it lets you design whatever you want right from scratch. Plus, Adobe has introduced multiple new tools, such as the AI tool that can be used to remove the background of any image in a few seconds. Adobe Photoshop is multipurpose software that can be used for almost any sort of graphic designing needs.

Pros of Adobe Photoshop

• Adobe Photoshop is packed with advanced photo editing tools that give you complete control of how you want to work with them. With these tools, you can do modifications such as whitening teeth, spot healing, straightening hairs, removing wrinkles, etc.
• Adobe Photoshop comes with a Camera RAW plugin that allows you to do professional-level color grading. Another great advantage of this plugin is the non-destructive image editing that keeps the original picture as it is.
• Photoshop features advanced level layers such as type layer, image layer, vector shape layer, adjustment layer, smart filter, and more that can be used for professional-level photo manipulation.
• Adobe has a massive library of plugins, filters, textures, fonts, brushes, and more that make editing pictures and designing graphics much easier and effortless.
• The latest edition of Adobe Photoshop comes with an auto blend layers tool. This tool lets you merge several different images to create a panoramic picture. You can further add texture, replace the background, automatically set a similar lighting level for all pictures, and more.
• You can use Adobe Photoshop on drawing tablets to make the work faster and efficiently and better control brushes and other Photoshop tools.
• Adobe Photoshop has a massive community of over a million users. Therefore, you will have easy access to millions of free and paid Photoshop templates, tutorials, courses, and more.
• Apart from image enhancement and graphic designing, Adobe Photoshop can also help you with video and animation editing. You can use Photoshop to work with separate frames and animation layers, use it for color grading, and more.
• Adobe Photoshop comes with a massive integrated library of images and photos that can help you with your different types of projects.
• With Adobe Photoshop, you get access to cloud storage that automatically synchronizes all your work and progress. With the base plan, you get 20 GB of cloud storage, while if you want more storage, you can opt for a higher plan.
• Adobe Photoshop lets you add your own fonts. It supports OpenType SVG fonts and emojis as well.

Cons of Photoshop

• Even though the user interface of Photoshop is quite easy to use, the learning curve for Adobe Photoshop is quite complicated. You have to spend quite a lot of time learning how different tools work to become efficient using Photoshop.
• Photoshop has no free version, and they have also removed the one-payment license. Photoshop has shifted to a software-as-a-service model where you have to opt for a monthly or yearly license for Photoshop.

3. CorelDraw Graphics Suite

Website: https://www.coreldraw.com/

If your business requires you to create illustrations, logos, and marketing materials, CorelDraw Graphics Suite can be a great choice. CorelDraw is considered one of the best apps for graphic design. This program is capable of creating any type of vector-based graphics.

The software features a very simple and user-friendly interface. The user interface can be customized according to your needs. Further, it is packed with an extensive tool palette that allows you to create and edit two-dimensional graphics with perfect precision. Plus, it comes with a flexible payment option where you can buy the software for a lifetime in one go, or you can opt for a monthly subscription.

Pros of CorelDraw Graphics Suite

• CorelDraw features a very user-friendly interface. Plus, the user interface is highly customizable. You can change the default sizing of toolboxes, icons, and other macros. You can even set how your documents will open and the window border color.
• CorelDraw is quite fast compared to other graphic designing software. Plus, easy access to the tools helps you design even faster.
• CorelDraw supports over 48 file types, including AutoCAD, JPG, SVG, PNG, TIFF, and more, to export your work. Plus, it supports over 35 file types that you can import to this program and design.
• The software is solely designed for graphic designing, and therefore, it comes with numerous graphic editing functions that you cannot see on any other program.
• The Bezier tool gives you complete control over the nodes, making the illustration process quite fast and easy. Plus, it offers extremely precise and accurate curve management.
• CorelDraw allows you to work on different sheets of the same CDR file. Plus, the multipage view function lets you easily compare your designs and see differences.
• CorelDraw comes with very flexible payment options. You can opt for a monthly subscription by paying $20.75 a month, or you can buy the tool with lifetime access at just $499.
• CorelDraw comes with a Gaussian blur function that lets you blur all of the unwanted noise from the background of your designs and images.
• CorelDraw supports Microsoft Teams integration, allowing you to share progress with your clients and colleagues very easily.
• CorelDraw comes with a perspective drawing function that lets you visualize your idea easily. This function allows you to choose between one, two, and three-point perspectives that let you freely move and modify any object within your drawings without affecting other elements.

Cons of CorelDraw Graphics Suite

• CorelDraw is heavy software and, therefore, requires a powerful computer. If you don’t have a computer that fulfills the minimum requirement to run this software, you might face a bit of lag.
• CorelDraw offers regular updates, which is a great thing, but sometimes, these updates break a few functions. This becomes quite irritating.
• Even though CorelDraw can be used on a 15 day trial period, it offers very limited access to the features on its free trial. Therefore, if you really want to test CorelDraw, the best option would be to buy a monthly subscription.

4. Adobe Illustrator

Website: https://www.adobe.com/in/products/illustrator.html

We have another Adobe product on our list, and this time, it is Adobe Illustrator. Unlike Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator is solely designed to serve the purpose of graphics designing. Therefore, you find some graphics designing features on this program that you might not see on Adobe Photoshop.

Adobe Illustrator is a tool for all types of illustrative artwork, such as logo designing, layouts, typography, website mockups, and more. Even though you can use Adobe Photoshop to serve the same purpose, Adobe Illustrator would be a perfect choice if your work mostly revolves around illustrative artwork.

Pros of Adobe Illustrator

• Adobe Illustrator is highly customizable. It comes with multiple that can be applied in no time. Further, you can also leverage the drag and drop feature to move toolboxes and panels on your screen.
• Adobe Illustrator comes with an in-panel editing feature that lets you edit multiple artboards simultaneously. This can help you work with more efficiency and precision.
• Adobe Illustrator is compatible with a wide range of Windows and Mac devices.
• The user interface of the software is quite simple and easy to use. It is also quite customizable and comes with a feature called custom viewing and space-saving that lets you work on machines with different sizes and screen resolutions.
• Since the graphics on Adobe Illustrator are based on mathematical equations, you don’t have to worry about the resolutions. You can easily resize your designs as per the requirements without losing or compromising the quality of your artwork.
• One thing that I noticed with Adobe Illustrator files is that the files here are quite smaller in size. Despite being smaller in size, you don’t have to worry about the quality as you can easily resize them without losing the quality.
• Adobe Illustrator allows you to design print-ready graphics and web graphics with ease. Plus, the constantly updated toolset makes it easier to create professional-level vector graphics.
• With Adobe Illustrator, you get access to a massive library of over 90 million stock images, graphics, templates, videos, and more for free from Adobe Stock. This stock content can be used to make your complicated designs faster or get creative ideas.
• Adobe Illustrator also allows you to integrate Adobe fonts, giving you access to a massive library of thousands of fonts that can be used in your projects as per project needs. Plus, it also gives you the ability to upload your own fonts.

Cons of Adobe Illustrator

• There is no free or trial version to test Adobe Illustrator. Plus, it also lacks the one-time license purchase option. The only way to use Adobe Illustrator is by getting a monthly subscription.
• If you are a beginner, then it might take up to six months to get comfortable with the various features and functions. However, Adobe Illustrator will feel quite intuitive if you have already used any other vector-based graphic designing software.
• Adobe Illustrator uses quite a lot of resources, and therefore, you need a computer with decent configuration to run this software smoothly.

5. Inkscape

Website: https://inkscape.org/

If you don’t have a budget to spend on business design software, Inkscape can be a good option for you. Inkscape is a small business graphic software that is completely open-source. This means you can use Inkscape for as long as you want without paying a single penny from your pocket.

Being free software, it lacks some features and functions that you see on other graphic design software for business, such as Adobe Illustrator or CorelDraw Graphics Suite. However, Inkscape allows you to integrate other free and powerful APIs that can be used to enhance the functionality of the software.

Pros of Inkscape

• The user interface of Inkscape is quite user-friendly and intuitive. It doesn’t look too cluttered, and if you have used any other graphic designing software such as Illustrator, you will find the UI of Inkscape quite familiar.
• Inkscape has a massive community of contributors and developers that makes it possible to receive regular updates with new features and functionality.
• Being open-source software, Inkscape is completely free to use. That too, without any limitations.
• The open-source nature of Inkscape also allows you to manually modify the lines of the code of the software to enhance the functionality and personalize the software as per your needs.
• Inkscape also supports API integration that can be used to enhance the functionality of the software.
• Despite being a free tool, Inkscape comes with a large number of pro designing tools that make creating professional-level graphics very easy.
• Inkscape allows you to create individual text lines without creating any frames.
• Inkscape features a range of gradients. Plus, it also features a separate tool that can be used to design complex combinations.
• Inkscape also comes with a Bezier tool that gives you complete control over all of the nodes.
• There are plenty of tools that can be used to create, edit, and convert vectors very easily.
• There is also a community library of Inkscape where you can get a wide range of presets of filters that can be applied in no time to save your time and effort.

Cons of Inkscape

• The processing and export speed of Inkscape is quite slow compared to other graphic designing software.
• Inkscape designs are not fully compatible with Illustrator and other graphic editing software.
• Even though the user interface of Inkscape is quite intuitive and simple, it hasn’t been updated in years. Therefore, it looks pretty outdated.
• Even though Inkscape is compatible with macOS, the Mac version isn’t error-free and has some bugs.

6. Sketch

Website: https://www.sketch.com/

Lastly, we have Sketch on our list. Sketch is one of the best vector-based graphic designing tools, well suited for interactive prototypes for UI/UX needs. It was launched in 2010, and despite having such a heavy rivalry, it remains the first-class UI tool on the internet.

However, one of the biggest disadvantages of Sketch is that it is a Mac-only tool, meaning if you are looking for the best design apps for small business needs for Windows, Sketch would not be an option. Although Sketch has introduced the browser-based app, it is not as polished as the one Mac device.

Pros of Sketch

• The subscription fee for Sketch is quite low compared to other graphic designing software. You can get a personal license to use Sketch at as low as $99 per year.
• Sketch comes with grids, snap to grid, and snap to pixel functionality that helps in avoiding half-pixel renders and unstable alignments. These functions are very helpful for creating responsive designs for multiple screen sizes and resolutions.
• Sketch gives you access to a massive library of templates for iOS devices and web design layouts. These templates make the entire designing process quite fast and easy.
• Sketch has a massive community and supports plugin integration that can help you enhance the functionality of the program.
• Sketch comes with an integrated file sharing and collaboration function through the cloud. This function lets designers share their entire interface with clients and teams through a simple file-sharing process.
• There is a design mirroring function that lets you test your designs on different screen sizes and resolutions to make sure your designs are suitable for them.
• Sketch allows you to export any layer or group as a PNG file.
• Sketch is always connected with the cloud, and therefore, it automatically saves all the changes in design.
• Sketch is quite simple and easy to use. It doesn’t have a steep learning curve as other professional graphic designing software. Yet, you can use it to create professional-level designs.

Cons of Sketch

• Sketch is available only for Apple devices. The web version is there, but it is not that polished and needs some enhancements.
• Sketch comes with limited illustration functions that may restrict you from designing complex illustration works.

Closing Comments

There you have a list of the best graphic design apps for small business in 2023.

If you want your business to stand out in the crowd, you need to focus on its branding. However, not everyone can afford to hire a social media team, but if you can’t, you can use social media to make your business visible and reachable. Plus, you should be trying to be as active as possible on social media. This list of the best software for small business graphic designs would surely help you create professional-looking artwork for your business.

On your way to choose the best webinar platforms for small business that fits your budgets and needs in 2023? You have come to the right place. 

When you are particularly looking for the best webinar companies for your small business, your needs may differ from others. Although popular and large webinar platforms offer all the premium features, they may not be suitable for small businesses. 

The internet is filled with hundreds of best webinar tools, but selecting the right one that helps your business grow and converts leads into sales can be challenging. 

To put your hassle away, we have hand-picked the top best webinar software for small business that offer the best functionality and come under your budget. 

Ready to pick the best webinar tools for your small business? Let’s dive right in!

What to look for in the best webinar software for small businesses? 

There are hundreds of webinar platforms offering different features. While some webinar tools offer video conferencing features, some offer live webinars, while others allow you to conduct webinars as live stimulation used for sales funnels. 

Choosing the best webinar companies depends solely on your needs and budget. However, to make your decision easier and clearer, we have listed some of the most crucial features that a good webinar platform must come with. 

• A good webinar platform must have a good video quality that lets your attendees have a clear view of your presentation and offer higher reliability with zero downtime and delays. This ensures that your audience is satisfied and your reputation does not get damaged with delays and downtime. 
• Your webinar platform must come with an in-built chat feature. This is because you can engage with your audience during a webinar and solve their queries easily. 
• The top webinar platform should allow you to share your screen during a webinar without any glitches. This will help you display your presentation or document to your audience. 
• The software tool must allow you to record your webinars for future reference. If you have the recorded webinar in hand, you can study and focus on the area of changes and work on getting better. 
• Your webinar platform should allow you to have multiple hosts and presenters. When you host a webinar, there are chances that you have your colleague along that delivers the required information. This will help you conduct a webinar easily and more comfortably. 
• Once your webinar is over, you need to connect with your audience. For this, it’s important that the platform integrates with third-party email marketing and other tools for higher engagement. 
• For lead generation, your webinar platform should allow you to conduct live webinars and on-demand webinars. 
• To boost attendees and registration, the platform should come with landing pages and smart registration. 
• Lastly, the webinar platform must come with data or insights into the webinar so that you can see how many people attended your webinar, what questions were raised, and more to present your brand better next time. 

The 9 Best Webinar Software for Small Business 2023

Now that you have seen the webinar comparison table above, here are detailed reviews of these best top platforms. 

1. Demio

Website: https://www.demio.com/

If you are looking for the best webinar tools for small business, Demio is the perfect solution for you. Demio is one of the fastest-growing webinar companies between marketers and offers effortless joining. It provides HD video quality with multiple functions including screen sharing, launch offers, polls with statistics, and lets you upload your presentations directly to Demio. 

One of the best parts about Demio is that your audience does not need to download any software to join the webinar. Your audience can directly join the webinar using the link. Additionally, you can bring attendees to the stage, answer users’ questions through personal or public chat, share gifts and bonuses, chat with other users, and more. 

Overall, Demio is a perfect platform whether you want to use it to educate customers, generate leads, increase conversions, increase trials, and more.

Pros: 

• Demio comes with 24/7 premium chat and email support. No matter where you get stuck, you can contact customer support and get your queries resolved immediately. 
• You get automated email notifications making it easier for your brand to market. Besides, you get embeddable form options for your site. 
• You get 14 days free trial of Demio. You can try it for free and cancel the trial anytime before 14 days. 
• No matter which plans you pick, you get 30 days money-back guarantee. 

Cons: 

• If you want to create a practice session, you will have to create a different link. This can sometimes confuse users during the actual webinar making it confusing for the users to find the right link. 
• Demio gives limited customization options and designs for landing pages. 

Pricing: The pricing starts at $34/month for 50 attendees and goes to $163/month for 500 attendees. You can also create a custom plan by talking to their sales expert. 

2. GoToWebinar

Website: https://www.goto.com/webinar

GoToWebinar is one of the trustworthy and best webinar software tools designed for every business need. The tool comes with powerful features like webinar templates, polls &  surveys, live presentation, recording, and more that is exceptionally easy to use. It comes with stimulated live features allowing you to make and schedule pre-recorded webinars. 

Moreover, GoToWebinar integrates seamlessly with popular CRM tools and marketing automation tools including MailChimp and Salesforce. It comes with excellent and reliable video quality and functions that engage your audience and build personal connections that boost your business sales. You can use GoToWebinar for marketing, communication with the team, training, and more. 

Pros: 

• It offers detailed analytical reports including the questions they have asked, how many people attended the webinar, and more making it easier to understand the strategy for your next webinar. 
• To boost your engagement, it comes with videos, polls, GoToStage sharing, and more. 
• Excellent customer support including blogs, FAQs, and more so that you can resolve all the issues immediately. 
• You get a 7-day free trial without entering your credit card information and commitments.

Cons: 

• If you’re in start mode, you will have to wait for the live webinar to begin, you can’t let the presenter test the PowerPoint polls and other features one final time without the viewers viewing the screen.
• Glitches occur frequently while using the platform. However, regular updates can solve the glitches.

Pricing: The pricing starts at $89/month for 100 attendees. The plans go to $429/month for 3,000 attendees. 

3. Zoom Meetings

Website: https://zoom.us/

Zoom Meetings is one of the most popular and best webinar companies for small businesses. Although it is popularly known for its video meetings, Zoom has also made an impact by entering the webinar platforms. It comes with excellent video quality and trustworthy streaming. Zoom comes with all essential features such as no time limit per session, unlimited webinar sessions, live streaming cloud storage, and so many other cool features. 

While running webinars, it also lets you record it and add transcripts. In addition, you can add up to 100 panelists to the webinar. Also it comes with a practice session so the panelists can get acquainted with the controls. Moreover, it also lets you run practice sessions. It comes with built-in marketing tools and integrates seamlessly with all the major CRM and email marketing platforms. 

Pros: 

• Zoom Webinar platform is an easy-to-use webinar software for small businesses. It makes training your colleagues via Zoom easier and helps in engaging with more customers. 
• It even enables you to livestream to an unlimited number of people at the same time on YouTube live, Facebook Live, and other streaming services. 
• Zoom integrates seamlessly with various third-party tools like Hubspot to make the workflow more efficient. 
• Easily enable screen sharing to share a presentation or document with your customers and colleagues. 

Cons: 

• Zoom comes with a limited registration option and lacks branding options. 
• It lacks customization options for reminders, landing pages, and calendar invites. 

Pricing: The pricing of the Zoom webinar starts at $690 for 500 attendees. 

4. LiveStorm

Website: https://livestorm.co/

LiveStorm is a powerful and reliable webinar tool. It offers three types of webinars -automated webinars, on-demand webinars, and live video webinars. One of the major reasons behind its popularity is that it offers web-based webinars instead of downloading the software. To attend a webinar, you do not need to install or download any software. 

It offers detailed insights on your webinar so that you can improve the webinar for better engagement next time. Some of its features include HD video quality, polls and surveys, live chat, screen sharing, email automation, and even sharing documents. Furthermore, it comes with modern and customizable designs that match your brand and maintain your identity. 

Pros: 

• It comes with built-in integrations with 100+ marketing platforms to increase the workflow and get better conversions. 
• LiveStorm is a comprehensive webinar software tool that is feasible for product demos, company communication and training, live events, teaching, and more. 
• It comes with a free plan without entering credit card information. Additionally, it works perfectly on all the browsers. 
• LiveStorm supports video engagement including sharing video recordings, mail follow-ups, registration, and landing pages. 

Cons

• LiveStorm does not give you the option to download all your webinars at once. Instead, you have to download the webinars individually. 
• It does not come with the raising your hand feature. Although this may not be important for all the users, having the feature will make it easier. 

Pricing: The basic plan comes for free with limited features. However, the premium plans start at $109/month. 

5. GetResponse Webinar

Website: https://www.getresponse.com/

GetResponse is a premium and popular email marketing service that now comes with a webinar function to centralize marketing and ease all your efforts. GetResponse comes with inbound marketing solutions to grow your audience. You can use their webinar to run on-demand and live webinars. Additionally, it comes with unlimited webinars (except the basic plan), has up to 1,000 attendees, and shares the page with various presenters. 

GetResponse is a centralized marketing platform so you can follow up with your audience without making any efforts. Moreover, to further optimize the conversations, it comes with built-in sales funnels and landing pages. To get more attendees, it integrates effortlessly with OptinMonster. Overall, GetResponse offers a complete marketing solution in one place! 

Pros 

• GetResponse comes with all the basic features including call-to-actions, screen-sharing, surveys and polls, interactive whiteboards, and more. 
• The plans of the powerful webinar tool come with unlimited landing pages, lead funnels, and automation templates. 
• All the plans come with 1000+ email subscribers and email marketing features. This makes it easier to centralize your marketing from one platform. 
• GetResponse allows you to store up to 20 hours of your recording. Additionally, it permits 100 to 500 attendees depending on the plan you pick. 

Cons 

• The webinar hosting interface should be improved. 

Pricing: The basic plan comes with $49/month allowing up to 100 attendees. You can also have a custom plan that allows up to 1000 attendees for your webinars by talking to the sales representative of GetResponse. 

6. WebinarNinja

Website: https://webinarninja.com

If you are looking for an all-in-solution with all the necessary features, WebinarNinja is the right platform for you. What makes WebinarNinja stand out from the rest of the webinar platforms is that it offers four types of webinars such as:

• Live Webinars (Create real-time webinar for live results)
• Automated & Evergreen Webinars (Reach more audience with recorded webinars)
• Series Webinars (Multi Session webinar series) 
• Hybrid Webinars (Engage with a live audience, camera OFF)

Through this webinar tool, you can convert your leads into sales. Also it makes teaching and marketing your products easier.

In addition, it comes with an easy-to-use interface and installation. It offers a simplified solution for all the users and lets you focus on your presentation instead of the tech. The webinar software gives all the high-end features including slide templates, built-in landing page templates, custom logos, and more. 

Pros: 

• WebinarNinja offers 24/7 customer support. No matter where you find the issue, you can contact the team through live chat and email anytime, any day!
• It comes with social sharing options that allow you to share your webinar details on various social media platforms for better audience reach. 
• You can even create automated webinar series for your audience.
• To engage with your audience, it lets you send follow-ups, email notifications, reminders, and more. 

Cons: 

• The customer support team does not reply quickly. The response time for customer support is usually delayed. 
• Users may encounter bugs. Although the bug issues are taken into consideration, they are rarely fixed. 

Pricing: WebinarNinja offers affordable pricing starting at $39/month with 100 attendees and unlimited recorded webinar attendees. 

7. Live Webinar 

Website: https://www.livewebinar.com

For small businesses and teams to manage online meetings and webinars, LiveWebinar is the ideal solution. You can conduct online events easily with LiveWebinar’s cloud-based technology and other robust functionalities. This easy to use webinar tool allows you to conduct webinars without any download needed. 

LiveWebinar works best on Safari making it perfect for iOS and Mac users. You can chat with users during a webinar, share your screen to present your presentation, conduct polls, and surveys, broadcast to other live platforms including Facebook live, and more at affordable pricing. Moreover, it comes with unlimited customization options to remove or add features as per your needs. 

Pros: 

• LiveWebinar lets you embed directly into your website with accessible integration options so that you have everything under one domain. 
• The platform integrates with all the popular email marketing tools to boost your conversion rates and build your audience. 
• You can record your videos and share them anywhere with HD quality. Additionally, you also get a virtual whiteboard. 
• It comes with advanced analysis, tracking and reports to give you all the insights on your webinar. 

Cons: 

• LiveWebinar does not offer chat support. If you need help, you will have to contact the team through email for which the response time may be unpredictable. 
• The registration process for participants may not be comfortable for everyone. The participants must enter their email twice to get reminders. 

Pricing: LiveWebinar comes with a free plan that permits 5 attendees and 2 hours of recording. However, for 5+ attendees, you can go for their premium plans starting at $11.99/month. 

8. EasyWebinar

Website: https://easywebinar.com

If you are looking for a lightweight and easy to use webinar platform for small businesses, EasyWebinar is the right pick for you. It allows you to do automated evergreen webinars as well as live webinars. The live webinar comes with HD video quality, easy screen sharing, recording and achieving webinars, real-time chat features, and more. 

To reach a larger audience, you can run EasyWebinar’s automated evergreen webinars. Additionally, it lets you easily repurpose the webinars and turn them into automated webinars to build a higher converting sales funnel and generate more leads. Lastly, it comes with 14 days free trial, so you can try their service and decide whether it’s right for you or not. 

Pros: 

• EasyWebinar comes with an EasyCast feature that lets you stream your webinar on various platforms including YouTube Live, Facebook Live, and more simultaneously. 
• You can engage with your audience by sending them offers, discounts, and more with their effortless integrations with popular email marketing services. 
• It offers outstanding customization options for webinar templates to match your brand’s design and style. 

It also offers a registration embedded feature allowing you to host registration forms on your site with popular landing page builders including ClickFunnels, SeedProd, and more. 

Cons: 

• The customer support team lacks proper response. Most users gave negative feedback on the support team of EasyWebinar. 
• There is no option to edit the recorded videos. Once you have recorded it, you cannot change the details. 

Pricing: The pricing for plans start at $78/month permitting 100 attendees. 

9. BigMaker

Website: https://www.bigmarker.com

Last but not least on our list is BigMaker. BigMaker is a cloud-based video conferencing software tool that makes broadcasting easier and affordable. It offers reliable video quality and lets you conduct visual summits and training sessions. 

Additionally, it comes with mobile-responsive landing templates and easy to use interface. It provides all the basic features including HD screen-sharing, popup offers, polls and surveys, question and answers, hand-outs, upvoting, public and private chat options, and more. 

Pros: 

• BigMaker integrates with all the major MAS and CRM platforms and offers plenty of engagement features. 
• BigMaker is completely browser-based which means your attendees do not have to download the software to attend your webinar. 
• To capture more leads with your webinars, it comes with forms, emails, and landing pages. 
• Easy 7 days free trial to check out their services without entering your credit card information. 

Cons: 

• There is no feature of automatic captioning or transcribing of webinars. 
• BigMaker may not be compatible with all the browsers except Chrome. 

Pricing: The basic plan starts at $79/month which includes 100 attendees. 

FAQs

#1. Which is the cheapest webinar platform for small businesses? 

LiveWebinar is the most affordable webinar platform for small businesses. It comes with a free plan that permits 5 attendees and the premium plan states at $11.99/month with all the necessary features. 

#2. Which is the best webinar platform?

It’s difficult to choose one, however, WebinarNinja and GoToWebinar are the two pioneer webinar platforms available out there. These come with all essential and advanced features. They both offer a free trial. 

#3. Is the Zoom Webinar platform good for hosting webinars?

Yes, the Zoom platform is good for webinars because of its audio and video quality. What’s more, they offer cloud storage to help you record and upload webinars on the clouds. 

Final Thoughts

That’s a wrap to our best webinar platforms for small businesses! 

Small businesses need reliable webinar platforms that help them grow their business over time. All the webinar companies mentioned above offer excellent features that suit the small business needs. 

However, if you are still unsure about which webinar platforms you should pick, we will recommend understanding your business needs and budget before making your decision. You can go through the comparison table and decide which software is ideal for your small business. 

No matter which webinar software you pick from the list, your business is bound to boost! 

We hope our list of best webinar platforms for small business helped you in picking the right platform for your business. Which webinar software are you going with? Let us know in the comments section below! 

These are the 5 best small business servers in 2023 that’ll help you store and manage your business data securely.

I’ve included servers for everyone on this piece. You need the flagship servers which cost a fortune but are feature-rich? We got it. Maybe something more budget-friendly but with great expansion capabilities? That’s here too.

Your first time working with small business servers?  The next section will discuss how you can pick the best servers even with 0 previous experience.

How to choose the best small business servers?

Choosing the right servers for businesses can be quite a task. There are a lot of components involved. More importantly, each component directly affects not just the present, but also the future of your business.

To ease out the process, here are a few very basic aspects you should pay attention to when choosing the best server for a small business:

• Expandability: I’d say consider first and foremost. Your small business will grow with time, hence, your storage and feature requirements will too. Pick a server that supports future-ready expansions.
• Shape and size: Officially, this is called the “form factor” but why complicate things, eh? There are 4 major types, the Tower/Rack/Blade and Cabinets. Which suits you best primarily depends on the space where you’ve decided to put this up.
• Basic hardware components: This goes without saying but do pay attention to the RAM/Storage and processor you’re getting. These define your server’s speed, features and obviously total items you can store.

Now, there’s certainly a lot more that needs attention. However, these are the most basic aspects and once covered you’re almost set.

The 5 Best Small Business Servers Review in 2023

1. HPE ProLiant ML350 Gen 10

Website: https://amzn.to/3VXGOEk

Primary features:

• RAM: 16 GB (upgradeable)
• Intel Xeon Silver 4208 Processor
• 2 processors supported
• 24x SFF / 12 x LFF drive bays

HPE ProLiant is one of the most expensive but undoubtedly the best small business servers on this list.

For starters, it comes with 16 GB RAM and 8 drive bays. That’s more than enough to get you off the ground. You can expand this up to 24 small or 12 large factor drives.

Earlier, it used to come in a 500W variant, however, the current version has been upgraded to a 800W power supply.

The very powerful Intel Xeon Silver 4208 Processor can handle pretty much anything you throw at it.

You can either directly buy the more powerful version with the Xeon Gold 5218 2.3 GHz and 32GB RAM, or upgrade any ML350 G10 to the same specs.

Did I mention it supports 2 processors? Well, yes. (You only get 1 when you purchase this, the second is optional and additional).

The only bummer? If you buy this, you’ll have to get the hard drives separately. This is very common for most small business servers so that’s not a major deal-breaker.

As the image may make it clear, it’s a “Tower” as far as the form factor goes.

2. Synology 12 bay DiskStation DS3622xs+

Website: https://amzn.to/3TUF8cG

Primary features:

• RAM: Expandable up to 48 GB.
• Storage: Up to 36 bay drives
• Processor: 6-core Intel Xeon processor

This one I’ve got some personal experience with. On top of storage, it can pretty much do everything else; be it running Plex, transcoding, video surveillance, or even running virtual machines.

Do note that it can’t transcode 4K media but I doubt that’s what you need this business server for.

Now, you get 16 GB memory (RAM) when you purchase this. However, it’s expandable up to 48GB.

As for storage, you can store your entire business on it as it comes with 2X12 bay expansions. This means up to 36 bay drives can be mounted if you need to. It doesn’t include any hard disks so you must purchase them separately.

The default read/write speed is impressive, however, for growing businesses, you can speed it up with NVMe SSD Cache4.

As for ports, it offers 2x 10GbE RJ-45 ports and three gigabit ports.

A major benefit with this one is the 100% free “Active Backup for Business” license. You’ll probably require a cloud backup for business solution with any business server. The licensing cost can be bummer, but not with the Synology DS3622xs+.

3. ASUSTOR Lockerstor 10 AS6510T

Website: https://amzn.to/3DqmaWc

Primary features:

• Processor: Atom C3538 Quad-Core CPU
• RAM: 8 GB (expandable up to 64 GB)
• No. of Bays: Up to 10

If I’m being honest, the two options above were suited more to the “medium” sized businesses rather than the “small” businesses.

The Asustor Lockerstor however is cheaper and less powerful than some of the options above. However,  its Atom C3538 Quad-Core CPU can still get most things done for you that your business needs.

You get it with 8GB DDR4 RAM but can easily be upgraded up to 64GB.  There are multiple variants available, you can go as low as 2 bay or as high as 10 bays for your storage.

Its PWM fans are optimized for smart speed controls and push-pin mounting for a pretty decent cooling affect.

You can also connect it to the ASUSTOR’s “MyArchieve” technology which offers you “technically” unlimited storage.

You get two 10-Gigabit Ethernet ports, however, these can be aggregated for up to 20 Gbps speed. Similarly, two Realtek 2.5-Gigabit ports are available, again, can be aggregated for up to  5Gbps.

Wake on LAN/WAN and dual M.2NVMe SSD ports are some other desirable features you’ll like.

4. Dell PowerEdge T440

Website: https://www.amazon.com/Dell-PowerEdge-Server-Windows-Renewed/dp/B081KBKHWW?th=1&psc=1

Primary features:

• One of the most expensive small business servers
• Extreme upgrades possible
• Up to 1024 GB RAM
• Intel Xeon Gold 5215 2.5G
• 2 Processors
• 8 X 3.5” SAS/SATA HDDs/SSDs or 16X 2.5” drive bays.

This one’s the most expensive, and arguably “the” best small business servers in the industry (at this price). Some would even call it an overkill.

In my opinion, while it’s best-suited for medium to large size businesses, small businesses can get it too. It’ll just help you avoid future upgrades and major changes to your hardware.

You can get it pre-configured with Intel Xenon Bronze 3204 and many other CPUs. However, you can also find (or upgrade) up to Intel Xeon Gold 5215 2.5G. Well, it supports 2 processors so you can pretty much make your own combination.

Similarly, the lowest you get is 8GB RAM. The highest? Well, it has 16 DIMM slots. So, 16X64 = 1024 GB is the maximum RAM you can upgrade to. You totally should, if you’re planning on launching a rocket anytime soon!

On the security front, there’s a configuration lockdown (to prevent changes), system erase (when you change/discard servers), update verification etc.

5. Lenovo Thinksystem SR550

Website: https://amzn.to/3FdtR3s

Primary features:

• Intel Xenon Quad core processors
• Two processors supported
• 12x 64 GB = 768 GB RAM supported
• 12x SFF/ 8x LFF drive bays.

If you need a balance between features and pricing, the SR550 is what you should peek at.

You start with the Intel Xenon Quad Core processors. However, when you need it an additional processor can be attached as well.

The base model gets you 16 GB of RAM, however, its 12 RAM slots let you mount as much as 768GB DDR3 RAMs.

It’s capable of 6x PCIe 3.0 expansions. Initially you can use it with 12x small drives and 8x  large drives. Expansion is possible up to 16 SFF drives.

If you’re looking for a pocket-friendly business server solutions, I doubt you’d need to look further.

Business server vs. NAS

While a business server has a lot in common with a NAS device for small business, they aren’t exactly the same thing.

The very basic difference being, a NAS is primarily used for storage and file sharing. A server on the other hand has many additional uses. It’s sometimes used as a web server, running virtual OS, and so on.

Due to the difference in functionality, the hardware components of a NAS too are weaker than a server.

Then, a NAS is generally much smaller than a full-fledged business server. This also impacts the pricing as servers tend to be more expensive.

A NAS also isn’t as expandable or upgradeable as a server.

In simpler words, let’s just say that a business server can almost always be used as a NAS and it’ll serve all the purposes. While, using a NAS for the features of a server isn’t wise.

Final words- Which of these is the best small business servers?

A business server is very subjective and totally depends on a business’s specific needs and budget.

However, if I’ve to give you one choice that you can’t go wrong with, I’d say go with the Dell PowerEdge T440. It’s a lot of upfront investment, for a lot of benefits you can reap later.

If you need a more budget-friendly but feature-rich solution, the HPE ProLiant ML350 Gen 10 is just for you. This too can be expanded into a beast of a server without requiring a lot of financial commitment upfront.

Best of luck for your small business then? I do hope you find at least a few best small business servers that serve you right on this piece.

In this article, we are going to share a list of the best cloud storage services for small business. This list contains services that are currently performing the best in the market.

When it comes to businesses, data security and safety are two of the most crucial things, especially if your business is related to data-driven sectors. To make sure your data won’t get compromised by hackers, you have to go for the best cloud services for small business.

So, without any further ado, let’s get started.

Best Cloud Services for Small Businesses

1. Microsoft OneDrive

Link: https://www.microsoft.com/

Microsoft OneDrive is one of the best cloud services for small business, especially for companies that are already using Microsoft 365. One of the main reasons is that Microsoft OneDrive easily integrates across all other Microsoft applications, allowing you and your team to collaborate and share files very easily.

Microsoft OneDrive offers both cloud storage and cloud syncing features. For businesses, Microsoft offers you a choice to pick between Microsoft OneDrive standalone plan or Microsoft 365 bundle plan.

There are two Microsoft OneDrive standalone plans, costing you $5 per month per user and $10 per month per user. The $5 per month per user provides 1 TB of cloud storage. The latter also provides 1 TB of storage but adds an additional layer of advanced security features.

Instead of Microsoft OneDrive standalone plans, you can go for the Microsoft 365 bundle plan that costs you $5 per user per month and $12.50 per user per month. The $5 plan gives access to 100 GB of cloud storage along with access to the web and mobile versions of Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, Exchange, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

You also get access to other features such as advanced security, email & calendaring, Office integration, and more. The $12.50 plan gives you complete access to all the functionality and features offered by Microsoft. However, you will only get 5 GB of cloud storage per user.

Pros of Microsoft OneDrive

• Microsoft OneDrive is available for almost all types of devices – whether you have a Windows, Mac, Android, or iOS device. Although OneDrive isn’t officially available for Linux, there is an open-source tool that you can use to run OneDrive on Linux.
• Microsoft uses AES 256-bit encryption for all the files, meaning everything that you will store on your Drive can only be accessed by you or the person you’ve shared those files with.
• Microsoft also offers Microsoft Vault, which applies unlimited end-to-end encryption to all the files stored inside that folder. Note that this feature is only available for business customers.
• Microsoft backs up all your data across multiple servers, ensuring that none of your data will be lost even in catastrophic situations. Microsoft OneDrive is also known for its best-in-class cybersecurity and threat detection functionalities.
• Microsoft OneDrive gives the ability administrators to force two-factor authentication by default along with periodic password changes.
• Microsoft OneDrive makes file sharing quite effortless. All you have to do is right-click on the file and specify the email address with which you want to share your files.
• If you don’t want your employees to access organization files on their personal home computers, you can simply put such restrictions. You can also configure users who are allowed to share files.
• Microsoft OneDrive lets you set bandwidth limits for users to restrict them from uploading or downloading files at a certain speed only.
• There is a Files on Demand feature that lets users conserve storage space on their devices. Users can choose to store the majority of their data on OneDrive to keep very few files on their devices.

Cons of Microsoft OneDrive

• Whenever an employee leaves your organization, their data can only be recovered within a specific period. The entire responsibility to take the backup of their data is of the organization.
• Microsoft OneDrive has a few limitations regarding how many files can be synchronized. For example, currently, OneDrive warns to synchronize more than 300,000 files. OneDrive also restricts users from uploading files above 250 GB in size.
• Even though Microsoft OneDrive features plenty of integrations, it lacks the majority of third-party integrations. It only works best with Microsoft 365 suite.
• As a standalone cloud storage solution, OneDrive isn’t that impressive. There are better options available that can be used instead of OneDrive, especially if you are going to use OneDrive solely without the Microsoft 365 suite.

2. Dropbox

Link: https://www.dropbox.com/

If you are not interested in buying the Microsoft Office 365 bundle and looking for a cloud storage service to help you with backups and file sharing, Dropbox can be a good choice. You can install Dropbox on your device and enable the auto-sync function to create automatic backups of all your files.

Once your files are uploaded on the Dropbox cloud server, you can easily share or access them from anywhere, just with the help of a connected internet device. Dropbox offers plenty of tools, such as the eSignature feature, that help it stand out amongst the crowd.

Dropbox offers plenty of plans designed for both personal and business usage. There are two personal plans – Plus and Family. The Plus is designed for individuals and provides cloud storage of 2,000 GB at $9.99 a month. The Family plan also provides cloud storage of 2,000 GB, but this storage can be shared between up to six users. This plan costs you $16.99 a month if billed annually.

For business purposes, Dropbox offers three different plans – Professional, Standard, and Advanced. The Professional plan is designed for individuals and gives users access to 3,000 GB of cloud storage with plenty of additional features such as document watermarking, shared link controls, viewer history, and more.

The Standard and Advanced plans are designed for companies with more than three users. The standard plan gives access to 5,000 GB per user, while there is no storage limit for Advanced users. All these plans are priced at $16.58, $12.50, and $20 per month per user if billed annually.

Pros of Dropbox

• Dropbox has client apps available for all major devices, allowing you to enable syncing options by default to back up all your data. Plus, it also makes it easy to access files from anywhere, just with the help of an internet-connected device. You can also enable the selective syncing option that lets you select what files you want to sync and what not.
• Dropbox makes it extremely easy to share files amongst other team members or with people not in the team. With business plans, you get access to a Team folder. Whatever file you save in this folder will be automatically available for all other team members.
• Dropbox also offers a file versioning function that lets you easily create multiple versions of the files for different environments. Plus, you can also find previous versions of the file if the file has been updated or modified.
• With each plan, you get free access to Dropbox Paper, Dropbox’s in-house collaboration tool. This enables you to create and edit documents, assign related tasks, comment on them, and more efficiently.
• Dropbox also keeps a backup of all the files that you’ve uploaded to your cloud storage. When you delete a file from your storage, it gets stored in the deleted folder and can be recovered at a later date.
• Dropbox allows you to select some files or folders that you often require. These files stay synced to your device so that you can access them without even having an internet connection.
• Dropbox uses AES 256-bit advanced encryption to secure all your files. This means all your files will be end-to-end encrypted, and no one without your permission will be able to access them.
• Dropbox has a free tier that comes with most of the functionality of the full product. Though it provides you with very limited storage, you can opt for this plan to use the product and see if it is suitable for your needs or not.

Cons of Dropbox

• Even though Dropbox is currently quite secure and a reliable cloud storage platform, it has a dark history. In 2016, Dropbox data was hacked, and the login information of over 68 million users was compromised. However, Dropbox has worked on the security front, and since then, such an incident has never occurred.
• Dropbox is a bit costly, especially if we compare it with other cloud storage services such as OneDrive or Google Drive.

3. iDrive

Link: https://www.idrive.com/

If the lack of advanced syncing features isn’t going to be a deal-breaker for you, iDrive can be a great choice. iDrive is my favorite pick for a small business storage solution for those who are quite tight on a budget yet want a reliable solution.

iDrive offers four different plans along with a free plan. The free plan gives you access to 5 GB of cloud storage with all the basic features. You can use this plan to test iDrive’s services. For personal usage, iDrive offers two different plans – iDrive Mini and iDrive Personal.

The thing about iDrive that impresses me the most is that it features multiple sub-plans under each plan. For example, the iDrive Mini plan starts at $3.71 per year for 100 GB of cloud storage, but this plan allows you to extend the storage to up to 2 TB by paying $29.62 per year.

Similarly, the base plan of iDrive Personal costs you $59.62 per year for 5 TB of cloud storage, but you can extend it to up to 10 TB by paying $74.62 per year.

For businesses, iDrive offers two plans – iDrive Team and iDrive Business. Each of these plans comes with multiple sub-plans that make it extremely easy to pick something that meets your needs. These plans start from $75.62 per year for five users (5 TB each) and go up to $1499.62 per year for 100 users (100 TB each).

Pros of iDrive

• iDrive allows you to back up data from multiple devices using a single account. This is really a great feature, considering people nowadays own more than one device.
• iDrive is a perfect backup option. It not only lets you backup whatever you have stored on your storage device but also helps you by taking a backup of your social media accounts such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and more.
• iDrive uses AES 256-bit encryption to store all your files on the cloud server. This gives you confidence that all of your data can only be accessed by you or the person you’ve shared that data with.
• Additionally, for data security, there is an option that lets you make a user-defined key to access the data.
• iDrive has multiple pricing schemes to choose from. This allows you to make the right choice based on your budget and needs.
• iDrive offers quite rich functionalities for backing up your devices to the cloud. You can either select an individual file, folder, or a complete image of your hard disk. iDrive will do the job without any hassle.
• iDrive compliance with GDPR and HIPAA guidelines means you don’t have to worry about user privacy.
• iDrive is a zero-knowledge cloud storage platform, meaning if you enable private encryption, none of your backed-up data will be shared with anyone, even the authorities. Only the person with the encryption key will be able to decrypt the data.
• iDrive offers telephonic support, even for the most basic plans. Additionally, you can connect with the team using the live chat or email ticket support option.

Cons of iDrive

• Even though iDrive plans are quite inexpensive and value for money, there is no option to opt for a monthly subscription. This is not a deal-breaker but still something I didn’t like.
• Even though there are some features that offer you sync functionalities, iDrive is not a true syncing solution. If you are mainly looking for the best cloud storage for small business solutions with syncing functionality, iDrive would not be a good choice.

4. Nextcloud

Link: https://nextcloud.com/

Nextcloud is not primarily a small business storage solution. Instead, it is a flexible suite of cloud storage software. With Nextcloud, you can set up your own self-hosted cloud storage server. This makes Nextcloud a great choice for people who are concerned about the security of their data.

Nextcloud allows you to set up on-premise storage infrastructure that can be used as a private cloud. While there are plenty of benefits of this technique, such as security, privacy, and more, there are some drawbacks as well, and the major one is that you have to set up a server on your own, which can be time and resource consuming.

Additionally, Nextcloud lets you enhance functionality in multiple ways. It supports over 100 third-party apps that you can integrate with your Nextcloud server and enhance the functionalities. Plus, most of them are open-source, which can help you save some bucks.

Talking about pricing, Nextcloud is completely open-source. This means you can use it for free for as long as you want. You can also add some additional services, but that will cost you extra.

But if you don’t want to indulge yourself in technical stuff, you can opt for their pre-configured, ready-to-use annual plans. There are three plans – Basic, Standard, and Premium. You can also request a free trial of the service to test and see how it feels using Nextcloud.

Pros of Nextcloud

• Nextcloud is completely free and open-source software that can easily run on any Windows, Mac OS, Linux, Android, and iOS device. Further, it can also be accessed using web browsers.
• Since Nextcloud allows you to set up your own cloud storage server, it is entirely on you where you want to store your data. For example, you can go for on-prem storage infrastructure. Alternatively, you can also opt for any hosting service.
• All the data you store gets protected with TLS in transit. Plus, you can also encrypt all your data using AES-256, but that is optional.
• You also get the option to protect your data using AES-128-GCM end-to-end encryption. Though the functionality isn’t fully implemented yet, you can see it in the near future.
• With the help of application integration, you can also enable the file versioning option that will allow you to make different copies of the file.
• Nextcloud supports two-factor authentication, meaning you don’t have to worry about accounts getting compromised by hackers.
• Nextcloud boasts plenty of file sharing and control options. This gives you complete control over who can see your files, what files are available for which user, and more.
• There is a virtual files feature that provides top-level sync performance.
• Nextcloud provides plenty of integrated personal information management tools such as contacts, calendars, notes, and more. These tools can easily help you schedule meetings, tasks, and more.
• There are plenty of collaboration features, such as whiteboard, author colors, document templates, etc. Plus, you can additionally integrate third-party apps such as Collabora Online for more collaboration tools.
• Once you set up your account, you can synchronize all your data across all your devices, including web browsers.

Cons of Nextcloud

• Even though there is an optional AES-128-GCM end-to-end encryption option, that is not fully implemented yet.
• Even though there are plenty of security tools you get with Nextcloud, it is going to be a self-hosted cloud storage option, and therefore, you will be responsible for the security of all your data.

5. Google Drive

Link: https://www.google.com/intl/en_in/drive/

Despite being one of the most popular cloud storage solutions, Google Drive is in the last position on our list. One of the main reasons behind that is Google has a bad reputation for user privacy. Even Google has clearly mentioned in their privacy policy that they reserve the right to collect and scan content to improve their service.

This is one of the reasons Google Drive is ranked so low on our list. However, if your business isn’t completely data-driven, I don’t think you will have any problem with Google Drive. After all, millions of people are already using Google Workspace for their businesses.

If we keep privacy aside, Google Drive is undoubtedly one of the best cloud storage solutions for almost any need. Google Drive is considered one of the most secure cloud storage solutions. Therefore, if you are looking for secure cloud solutions for small business, Google Drive can be a great option.

Another good thing about Google Drive is that it gives you access to plenty of collaboration tools. However, if you really want to use Google Drive for Business with its full potential, you can go with the Google Workspace suite.

However, getting the Google Workspace isn’t necessary for Google Drive. You can opt for the standalone Google Drive plans.

Pros of Google Drive

• Google Drive has an easy-to-use interface. Even most of you would have already used Google Drive on your smartphone or desktop.
• Google Drive doesn’t force you to go for Google Workspace. It is Microsoft Office compatible, meaning you can easily open MS Office documents in Google Drive. You can also convert Google Docs files to Microsoft versions.
• The file-sharing options on Google Drive are quite easy and simple.
• Google Drive protects all of your data using SSL encryption.
• Google Drive is compatible with a wide range of collaboration and productivity tools. Even if you don’t opt for Google Workspace, you can find plenty of ways to connect with your team.
• Google Drive has desktop clients for both Windows and Mac OS. They also have native applications designed for Android and iOS smartphones.
• Google Drive is one of the most secure cloud storage platforms.

Cons of Google Drive

• According to Google’s policy, they reserve every right to collect and scan your data to improve their service. Even though Google Drive is quite secure, data privacy is really a big concern for data-driven businesses.

Conclusion

There you have a list of the 5 best cloud services for small businesses.

There are hundreds of cloud storage service providers for businesses, and each of them has its own pros and cons. Some cloud storage providers are great in terms of functionality, while others are great for privacy and security. In such a situation, you have to pick the one that fulfills all your needs.

However, if you want recommendations, the above list contains services that provide the best cloud server for small business.

How to get online reviews for your small business in 2023? Here are the 10 simplest and most effective ways to get online reviews for your small business.

Did you know that 93% U.S consumers read online reviews before making a purchase? That’s a number that just can’t be ignored.

In this piece, I’ll be covering:

• Where to collect online reviews.
• And how to collect online reviews.

If those are things you’d wish to learn, let’s get started.

Keep “Honesty” your #1 priority

Before we start, you need to pay special attention here.

Most of the tips here involve “asking” for reviews. At times, rewards and payments are involved as well.

Paying for reviews obviously doesn’t sound good. Well, we’ve go to make it not sound bad.

So, whenever you ask for a review, using any of the modes mentioned below, make sure you mention “honest review” so you do not hurt your products’ integrity.

You’ve got to outline that you only seek a “review” and not a “positive review”. It can be negative if the user/buyer isn’t satisfied with the product.

This has additional benefits. Those who get your review request will now trust your reviews more as they’ll know that the reviews, despite being incentivized, are still honest.

Moreover, posting or asking for “fake” reviews is a crime. So by sticking to “honest” reviews, you also avoid legal hassles.

Signup at business review sites

Before you use the tactics I’ve shared, you need a place where users can review you, right?

It’s important to get reviews, but, it’s more important to get these reviews at places where people “see” them.

I mean sure the most logical place to get these online reviews seems like your website. But, not everyone interested in your product will go to your website to check the reviews, will they?

So, which are the places people check for product reviews?

Google Business

Website: https://www.google.com/business/

The most obvious choice is Google, for multiple reasons. First, it’s for “any and all products/services”. You can be a multi-million dollar company, or an individual offering plumbing services, Google lets you list your business and get reviewed.

Then, it’s free. It’s also extremely easy to setup. Finally, those who wish to leave you reviews can do so with ease as well.

It’s also the most “feature-rich” free online review platform.

Meaning, you can respond to user reviews directly. You can also list your menu, timings, pricing and even contact information. If you list a number, Google will let users call you directly. This may help boost sales.

You can even add your logo and photos so customers get a better idea of the product, without even going to your Website.

Then, there’s detailed insights. You get to learn what keywords lead people to your listing. This can even be used to improve your SEO.

It also shows you insights for your call button, bookings and lot more.

And then, Google has its own reward system. Users get ranked higher and get other rewards when they review a business on Google. This is like Google working for you, for free. Worth it, isn’t it?

Yelp

Website: https://www.yelp.com/

Yelp is arguably one of the biggest, most-used online review platforms on the planet. With over 200million hits/month, it’s one of the biggest exposures your small business can get.

(That screenshot is from Semrush. You simply enter your competitors’ URL, it gives you their traffic, primary traffic sources, ads, ad-spend, best-selling products and everything else).

It too, alike Google Business is for any and all business.  Regardless of your product industry or service type, you can get listed and be reviewed on Yelp.

Some other places to get your small business listed:

• TripAdvisor: This isn’t for all business types but more for the “travel” industry. If you own a hotel, restaurant, or provide vacation pages TripAdvisor is worth your time.
• YellowPages: This is another massive review directory. It has global presence and is suitable for any and all business types. Hospitality, travel, finance, medical and basically every other type of small business can be found listed here.
• Amazon/Facebook: Obviously, if you sell your product on Amazon or Facebook, try to redirect all the above steps to those platforms.

Let’s work on “getting” those reviews in then?

Include a review card (gift cards) + rewards

Your small business must be selling something. A very effective way to get reviews is “incentivise” them.  This also is one of the simplest ways to get reviews.

You can include a small “review card” with your products when you ship them (or deliver them online).

The card/ or graphic (for online deliveries) can tell your buyers to post a review. Here’s an example (no actual rewards involved).

(You can use a graphic design tool to create something like the card above in seconds. Then, either print & ship it or just attach it to your e-mails).

For every review, you can offer a small cashback/bonus or just direct money.

Ask users to share a screenshot and link of the online review they’ve posted over e-mail/social media or any other medium.

Once you get the screenshot, you can pay your users depending on what you’ve promised.

This actually can help you rake up your sales as well. If you choose to reward users with “X% discount on next order”, they’re more likely to make a second purchase.

Because only “buyers” get a review card, all your reviews will be legit and from people who’ve used the product. This also improves the quality of the reviews instead of people just saying “cool product”.

Utilize Youtube

I’m sure this is something you’re already aware of. In fact, I’ve got dozens of friends who Youtube for a living.

Companies very frequently ship out “review units”. These Youtubers get the devices/products for free.

The device/product may or may not be returned depending on whatever your policy is.

Now, the reviews may or may not be positive but you’ll definitely increase the number of reviews you have.

More importantly, Youtube is a “visual” platform. The viewers of the review get a much better idea of your product than reading a text-review somewhere.

Sponsored reviews

Basically,  almost every tip on this piece was in some way a “sponsored review”. You’re paying/incentivising your users/customers to write you a review.

Something else you can do is:

• Go to Google and search for “Best [your product] in [your country]”. E.g. “Best plant pesticide in Australia.
• Pick the top 20 results.
• Send them an e-mail asking them to include your brand on the list.
• You’ll probably have to pay them depending on the position you want on the list.

You can also request “individual reviews”. As in, “[Your Product review] to be published on their website. This would give you exposure to the website’s established user-base.

Another benefit is when a user searches for [Your product reviews] on Google, they’ll see these individual reviews which, if positive, may boost your sales.

Send out e-mails [that work]

This is the most basic but one of the most effective answers to the question- how to get online reviews for your small business.

Whatever small business you own, you’ve probably had a few sales already. Chances are, you also have an e-mail list from all the previous buyers.

You can just use  Engagebay or Hubspot for automation, or send out e-mails manually. Ask your previous buyers to leave you a review and maybeinclude a discount code?

You can also use special days to do this. If you’ve a database of the user’s birthdays, those work the best.

Send them a birthday wish, and a discount code. Then, ask them to leave a review “if they want to”. In this case, the discount code shouldn’t be tied to the review, they should get it regardless of them leaving or not leaving you a review.

If you don’t have a birthday database, use special religious/social occasions. Christmas, 4^th of July are some days that can work in your favour.

 Make the process “easy” for them

Getting people to leave you a review is only part of the equation. The other part of the equation is to make the process easy for them, so they don’t quit the process mid-way.

There are a couple ways you can do that.

• On your review cards, outline the steps to review your product/service.
• Shorten your review URL. It can be your Google review URL, Yelp URL or any other link. Just go to bit.ly, and create a user-friendly URL. Something like bit.ly/[yourbrandreview]
• You can also create QR codes directly to your review site/page/URL.

Provide good product/services

Yes, I know, this is basic. Probably too basic. But the core of any business is its products and services.

Strive to provide the best possible product or service you can. If you blow your buyer’s mind, they’ll leave reviews without you even asking for it.

If the product/service isn’t good, you’ll still earn reviews, just not the kind you’d like.

Monetize your after-support moments

For whatever product/service you’re offering, I hope you’ve got a support team available?  It can be a pre-sale team, technical team or any other kind of support you provide.

This is your one direct mode of communication with your customers.

Start by providing the best support possible .This helps you increase your brand value by default.

However, when the support session ends, that’s your opportunity. Considering you did good with the support, send your review request.

It can be as simple –

“Hey [user name], we immensely value your business. If you’re satisfied with our product/service, would you please spare 10 seconds to leave us a review? Simply click here (your review page link) and write away. Please be honest, we welcome both positive as well negative reviews.

Obviously this wouldn’t work 100% of the times, but, even if only 10% of users leave reviews, that’s 10% more than you would normally get, right?

Share reviews you’ve received on your social media

I  hope you already have social media pages for your business, don’t you?

When you receive a review, share it on your social media. Even the negative ones and ask your followers to share their reviews.

This serves two purposes. First, users feel validated. Whoever left the comment, probably follows you on your social. Even if they don’t, those who see you sharing the review will know their reviews matter.

You can also ask users to share your posts (containing their reviews) on their social media. If they do, that’s another potential lead pipeline that you can bend in your favour, isn’t it?

How “not” to get online reviews for your small business

I’ll keep it simple, never do these, period:

1. Force reviews: Never spam your client-base asking for reviews. No direct calls or unsolicited e-mails without “context”. (This is why we used “birthdays” and special days as context to mail your users above).
2. Never offer direct money or benefits for “good reviews”: You may think “Hey, I’ll give you $5 for a 5-star review” is a good idea. It’s not. It negates any and all other legit reviews you may have on your website + it’s not even legal.
3. No “inexperienced” reviews: Whenever you get a review, always send a test sample, free trial or review unit. Asking for reviews from users who haven’t actually used your product will kill your brand on multiple fronts.

Feature your clients on your ads/promotions

People generally like to contribute only if their contributions get enough traction, right?  If you can give them the traction, you’ll generate online reviews, period.

Now, how exactly can you give your clients the spotlight they want and probably deserve?

• Run ads. Send out emails/ posts on your social media asking users to review your product. Asking them for “video” reviews may work as well. Let them know you’ll use these in your ads. Their reviews suddenly matter more than a review on a third-party site, and this just may get them interested.
• Ads aren’t the only way to do this. You can ask your clients to send a photo/video review which you’ll use on your normal promotions. These can be on your website, as a graphic on third-party websites or somewhere else.

Host a contest

Contests have been one of the biggest conversion-tools since the medieval ages, right?  Everyone wants to be the “winner”.

You can host a very simple contest where users are asked to leave “honest” online reviews for you.

You can then “randomly” (so as to not reward only positive reviews) pick 3-5 reviewers and reward them.

Another contest can be a “race”. Let’s say you announce $5 reward (Amazon voucher/ cashback on next order or something else) to the first X people who leave you a review.

This creates a sense of urgency + the will to “win”. Works well as your users wouldn’t know if the “X” number of reviews has been met or there’s still space left!

What contests do for you is you only pay 3-5 people, while generating hundreds of reviews for your brand/product!

You can use something as simple as free Google Forms to receive entries. Users can leave a URL of their review here, along with their e-mails. Simply create the form and share the link on your social media.

Or, you can use something ultra-advanced, such as Gleam. The app lets you host contests and monitor entries, rewards users, verify the users’ contributions and a lot more.

Take action and then get it validated

This is more like a business strategy than an answer to “how to get online reviews for your small business”. Doing this ultimately gets you more sales, respect and returning customers.

When you receive reviews, a number of them would be negative. Filter out those negative reviews which have a problem that can be “solved”. E.g. better packaging, faster shipping and so on.

Then, fix that issue.

Once the issue is fixed, share the review, your solution and proof of what you did on your social media + e-mail lists.

You can even create an entire blog post about it. You can then promote the blog post using a number of tactics.

Point is, when users notice how their reviews are actually shaping your company, they’re more likely to leave you a review.

In fact, some may try your product solely so they can suggest how to make it better!

Install popup widgets on your website

This is a simple but pretty effective technique to get free reviews.

I hope you have a website for your small business? If you do, you can create an attractive popup widget for your website. You can use an advanced small business CRM to do this.

It’s best to show it to people who’ve either purchased your products, and/or have spent a long time on your page.

Simply ask them for a review. It’s just another intersection where you can meet your users and may win yourself a review.

In return, you can offer e-books, guides, priority support or something else if you feel like it.

Final words- How to get online reviews for your small business?

I hope you now have at least some idea on how to get online reviews for your small business, don’t you?

If you follow maybe just 4-5 of the techniques listed above, chances are you’ll be grabbing yourself a few hundred reviews.

Obviously, this list isn’t ultimate. You’re free to come with more creative ways to get people to review you.  However, it sure is start, isn’t it?

Go on then, try these out considering you now know how to get online reviews for your small business.

If you need the best SEO software for small business, you just found it. throughout this list, I’ve included in-depth descriptions of the 5 industry-leading SEO software in 2023.

Because you’re a small business owner, the tools have been included accordingly. All of these take care of not just “SEO”, but also the competition, paid ads and automation (you don’t have a lot of time, do you?).

Also, (almost) all of these offer a 100% free trial. So, you get to form your own opinion and not blindly trust me. In some cases, you don’t even need to register! What can go wrong eh?

Let’s get your small business noticed on the internet then?

Best SEO Software for Small Business in 2023

1. Semrush

Website: https://www.semrush.com

Semrush is “the” best SEO tool for small businesses, and even the large ones.

No kidding. Companies like Tesla, Forbes, Walmart, Samsung,  IBM are some of its top clients! In fact, world’s 30% Fortune 500 companies use Semrush (and it’s still extremely easy to work with).

Personally, I’ve been using it for over 5 years now, and I’ve used nearly all the major competitors very seriously for an equally long time.

Semrush offers the following primary features:

• A complete and very detailed “overview”.
• Detailed traffic analytics
• In-depth organic research panel
• Very advanced keyword research
• Equally advanced backlink research
• Rank tracking
• Automated organic link building
• Comparative competition research
• Paid ad analysis and setup
• Site audit
• Automated writing assistant
• White-labelled reports
• Social media management
• A LOT MORE!
• 14-day free trial.

To start, simply enter any domain on its Organic Research panel. It’ll instantly give you total keywords, organic traffic, traffic cost, top organic keywords, top position changes, top pages, main competitors and a lot more on a single page.

The “Domain Overview” is impressive. Enter a domain, and you’ll get  its authority score (overall domain strength), organic traffic, paid traffic, backlinks, and top keywords/competitors.

The same page will also give you the top keywords (organic & paid), traffic each KW is bringing in, sample ad texts and so much more.

The traffic analytics page tells you every piece of data that exists about a site’s traffic. You’ll get total visits, unique visits, avg. visit duration, bounce rate, pages/visit and a lot more. Traffic sources, and even “traffic journey” (user’s previous and next website) too are shown!

What’s more? The age, source country and even “sex” of the visitors is shown!

Semrush offers probably the most advanced “competition” research I’ve ever seen. While you can compare nearly everything, I mostly use it for keyword/backlink and traffic comparisons.

I can compare 5 domains in total. It shows me the backlinks/keywords each of these have but I missed!

Similarly, the “Traffic analytics” page compares every aspect of the “traffic” for each of these domains. It shows me how the other domains are better/worse than me and how I can fix it.

Need in-depth backlink data? Semrush backlink analytics will give you the total backlinks, ref. Domains, outbound domains, types of links, and competitors with similar link profiles.

It even has a “toxicity” feature. A one-click audit will give you your link toxicity score. If toxicity is found, tips on cleaning the link profile too are shown.

Now for my personal favourite feature. The “Link Building Tool”. It helps me find links that my competitors have but I do not. It then automatically finds the contact information for the link-admins I may benefit from. Then, it lets me send outreach emails and monitor the number of obtained/rejected links all from the Semrush dashboard.

There’s another featured called the “SEO Content Template”. You can create a SEO template based on the top 10 competitors for your small business. You can target not just keywords, but also regions!

The template will show you the top backlinks you should acquire, best text-length, and other tips. The “Keyword Magic” tool helps you find the most profitable keywords, displaying their competitiveness, searches, trend and other metrics.

There’s an in-built rank tracker, “post tracking”, writing assistant and at least a dozen other major features on Semrush.

If you’re in the SEO business, it even lets you generate ultra-detailed SEO reports. You can customize these reports with your logo and branding for your clients!

It even has a social media scheduler! You can create and schedule your social media content right from the Semrush dashboard.

This is just a “list” of the best SEO software for small businesses. Hence, I’m trying to be brief here (I see the irony, not my fault). To uncover Semrush’s over a dozen other features, do go through this ultra-detailed Semrush review.

2. Mangools

Website: https://mangools.com/

Mangools is a top rated small business SEO software. I first fell in love with it because of its “user-interface’. It gave me insightful and actionable data, minus the complexities or technicalities of most SEO tools.

It has five primary tools:

• KWFinder
• SERPChecker
• SERPWatcher
• LinkMiner
• And SiteProfiler
• 10-day free trial (No credit card required).

KWFinder lets you find keywords (surprised?). You enter a keyword, the tool shows you the searches and difficulty. Simple, isn’t it? It shows not just the organic difficulty, but also the paid.

Multiple related keywords and LSIs are shown for each keyword you enter. For each of these keywords, the top websites and their stats ( traffic, DA/PA/TF/CF/ link strength etc.) are shown.

This gives you an instant idea of who you’ll be competing with, and what’s their strength.

Apart from related words, KWFinder also shows “autocomplete” words. These are gems you may otherwise miss. Similarly, “questions” for your entered keywords are shown as well.

You can also get any domain’s top keywords simply by switching to the “Search by domain” feature. This will show you the top keywords on that domain and their stats.

The SERPChecker shows the top results for any keyword, and detailed metrics about each of these results. This helps you get the no. of links, referring domains, DA, Facebook shares and overall strength of each ranking URL for your keyword.

The LinkMiner is an absolute beast in terms of backlink research. You enter a domain and it shows an overview of the link profile. Total links, referring domains/Ips, CT and TF.

Then, a list of all the backlinks, is shown. For each of these backlinks, the link provider’s domain metrics are listed. You can also filter for dofollow/nofollow links manually.

The SerpWatcher feature is Mangools’ rank tracking feature. Even if you’re a newbie, you simply need your domain URL. Mangools will auto-suggest the best keywords to track.  You can also choose to track rankings in specific regions, and/or devices (desktop/mobile).

SiteProfiler is its SEO audit feature. You enter a domain and it gives you the most important metrics about the domain. This will include the Domain Authority, Page Authority, CT and TF. The domain’s Alexa rank as well as  Facebook shares too are displayed.

A detailed backlink profile, top anchor texts, top pages and primary competitors are included on this SiteProfiler report.

All in all, Mangools’ is impressive. It’s surely not half as feature-rich as Semrush. However, it de-clutters the data and presents enough of it to overtake your competition.

3. Spyfu

Website: https://www.spyfu.com/

Spyfu is a one of the best SEO software for small business owners in 2023 primarily because of the way it presents data. You’ll see.

Also, “paid ads” are somewhat of its speciality. Most small businesses do run Google Ads and hence this may come in handy.

Also, it’s 100% free. Doesn’t even need you to sign up or register!

Its primary features include:

• Keyword research
• Paid ad research
• Competition research
• “Buy recommendations”
• Rank tracking
• Backlink research
• Detailed reports and so on.

The domain overview for starters shows you a all the organic + the paid keywords. It also shows what % of the traffic is organic vs. paid. The “change” (increase/decrease) in traffic too is shown.

The overview also shows the no. of keywords which gained & lost ranks.

A list of top organic & paid competitors, as well as the keywords you share with these competitors is displayed as well. The same list also shows “missing keywords”, these are the keywords your competitors have but you do not.

It has this unique “buy recommendation” feature. It shows the keywords you should buy ads for.

One of its most impressive features is ad-history It shows all the Google Ads that the domain was or is currently running. This is categorized into months so you can view past history even better.

Then there’s a page dedicated to SEO. This shows the total keywords, ranking keywords, total backlinks, newly ranked keywords, most valuable keywords etc.

Even the keywords you’ve lost and the “number of clicks” you’ve lost due to this ranking change are displayed.

Keyword research is impressive. For each keyword you enter, it shows monthly volume, organic vs. paid clicks, difficulty, CPC, similar keywords, questions etc.

It also shows the “most successful advertisers” for your keyword and in-depth data about each ad. This will include ad position, no. of times it appeared at the top, monthly budget etc.

For organic results, it shows difficulty, no. of specific domain types(gov/edu etc.), no. of sites with the keyword in their title/URL and so on.

It has the most “interesting” backlink research feature. You can enter a keyword, and it’ll show you a list of sites. Getting backlinks from these sites is apparently the fastest and most profitable way to rank for your entered keyword!

A rank tracker sure exists. It also has this “Kombat” feature. You can use it on the SEO page, backlinks page, PPC page or anywhere else. This will let you add multiple domains/keywords and compare them. Often, this will show you what your competitors did right and you didn’t.

Again, if you found Spyfu interesting, you can read my in-depth Spyfu vs. Semrush comparison.

4. Ahrefs

Website: https://ahrefs.com/

Ahrefs is good and some would argue even the best SEO tool for your small business. This was what I used for the longest time before switching to Semrush.

Its primary features include:

• Keyword research
• Backlink research
• On-page audit
• Rank tracking
• Advanced competition research
• Detailed reports
• No free trial

If you simply enter your domain onto its Site Explorer, you’d get more data than you need. It will show you the domain’s Ahrefs rank, total backlinks, referring domains, organic & paid traffic and traffic value.

Its backlink analysis feature gives you everything about a site’s backlinks. Total traffic the link source receives (overall domain as well as exact referring page), anchor text, backlinks on the link source, domain rank and everything else.

Similarly, its “Organic keywords” page lets you enter a domain. It then shows you all the keywords bringing in traffic as well as volume, difficulty, CPC, ranking position and exact URL for each keyword!

Do note that there’s a separate “Keyword Explorer” feature. You can use this to understand your keyword better, and find new ones. This page will give you a keyword’s difficulty, volume, top results for the keyword etc.

Multiple related keywords of different types (questions/ term matches/ distantly-related keywords etc.) are shown as well.

Ahrefs’ “Link Intersect” lets you add 10 competing domains. It then shows you the links that your domain is missing while your competitors have acquired.

Similarly, there’s a “Content Gap” feature. It compares the entered keyword amongst the entered domains, and your domain. You can find keywords you don’t rank for while your competitors do in an instant.

There’s even a “domain comparison” feature. It lets you compare multiple domains in their entirety. Then, you’ll be looking at a domain’s traffic, keywords, links and everything else and how the others compare to it.

Ahrefs also lets you conduct in-depth research when it comes to paid ad campaigns. It shows the exact keyword, its volume, difficulty, position and URL for each paid keyword that’s bringing in traffic.  Even the exact ad can be viewed!

If you wish to know the strongest suits of your competitors (or yourself), that’s easy. Ahrefs has pages titled “best by links”, “best by links’ growth” and “top content”. A single click on these shows you the pages performing the best for the domain you enter.

Obviously, Site audit is possible as well. It shows an overall health score, issues, and solutions to those issues is displayed.

The rank tracker isn’t missing either. It shows the average position for all your tracked keywords, the gains/losses, and overall visibility. Ofcourse, ranking changes for individual keywords too is shown. Grouped rankings (1-10/10-20…) is shown as well.

You can even compare your ranks against 10 other competitors. You can see how their ranks and traffic has changed over time as compared to you.

The reason I didn’t list it higher up on this list of best SEO software for small business?  There’s no free trial! They did offer a trial until a few months back, it’s permanently gone now! Sure, website owners can get free access to “Site Explorer” and “Site Audit” but that’s it. All the other features must be paid for.

Everything on here is from experience. Here’s my detailed Ahrefs vs. Semrush guide to prove the same.

5. Moz

Website: https://moz.com/

Moz once used to be “the” best software for SEO. Even today, it holds much of its dominance in terms of features and data.

Its primary features include:

• Keyword Research
• Link Research
• Site crawl
• Rank Tracking
• And On-page optimization
• 30-day free trial (Credit card required)

The keyword research feature obviously lets you understand your own keyword, as well as find new ones. It shows the difficulty, volume, SERP, CTR etc. This is informative but basic and common, wouldn’t you agree?

It has this unique “priority score” feature. It’s a ratio between “difficulty and volume”. Basically, the higher a keyword’s priority, the lower its difficulty and higher the search volume is.

Moreover, Moz developed the “DA” (Domain Authority) and “PA” (Page Authority) among other metrics. These were, and to some extent still are the most important metrics when it comes to checking a domain’s “strength”.

For each entered keyword, you’ll also get dozens of related keywords and their search volume.

As far as backlink research goes, Moz shows all the data you expect or need.  You’ll get the total links, no. of domains linking to the site, and ranking keywords.

It also shows the “top links” (based on strength), anchor texts, and spam score of the linking domains.

It also facilitates competition research. You can compare multiple domains to your domain. Moz will show the links you missed, the other sites’ DA/PA/traffic and other metrics.

The on-page SEO report isn’t “the best”, but is more than enough for your small business. It’ll tell you the exact factors which are helping you, as well as hurting you. You can click on each factor for solutions on how to fix them.

A pretty impressive rank tracker lets you track keywords on automation. This will show you the no. of keywords which moved up/down. Additionally, a breakdown of the keywords’ rank based on their position-bracket (1-10/10-20/20-30) too is included.

There’s only so much I can explain in this brief paragraph. It’s best you go through my Semrush vs. Moz (yeah, I did that too) comparison for a detailed insight into the tool.

Final words- Which is the best SEO software for small business?

Semrush is the best SEO solution for your small business, period.

The base for this statement is that it’s the most feature-rich tool on this entire list.

Let’s talk numbers? It has one of the biggest databases on the planet. With over 43 trillion backlinks, 21 billion keywords, 140 geographical database and 808+ domain profiles it’s clearly demanding a peek, isn’t it?

And hey, why don’t you give it a try? Here, get Semrush 100% free for 14 days. If it doesn’t impress you, you’ve still got all these other options, haven’t you?

Although I’ll say if “paid ads” and “comparisons” are what you’re looking for, Spyfu will make you happy. Mangools is for those small business owners who’d get the most straightforward data.

Here are the best VPN router for small business in 2023. In fact, this is the ultimate router guide you’ll ever need.

I’ve put forth my top 5 router recommendations for small businesses. And yes, home routers aren’t the same as business routers, or vice-versa.

I’ve also explained in the simplest of words the complex router terms so you know what you’re buying.

Finally, nothing on this list costs $500+. Do note that there are much better routers than the ones mentioned on this list. However, I’ve only listed the ones which make sense in terms of features and also their pricing.

Let’s get started then?

How to choose best vpn router for small business?

Just because you own a business, doesn’t mean you’re also familiar with routers, or technology in general.

So, this is the ultimate guide for you when picking up a router for your business.

You may or may not go with one of the routers listed below. However, be sure to check these points when picking your router and you should be golden.

(If the terms are too complex for you, scroll down to the end of this guide. I’ve explained in detail which terms mean what and why you should care).

• WiFi standards: Try to go with 802.11ac routers instead of 802.11n or older standards.
• 11ad/ax standards: When available, prioritize ad/ax standards. If you wish to learn the “why”, scroll to the bottom of this guide.
• MU-MIMO: Go for routers with MU-MIMO enabled.
• Number of bands: Most dual-band routers will be enough for you. However, tri-band routers too are available and are the better choice.
• Hardware: The more RAM and better processors you can go for, the better the router performs. Also, the specs have some influence on which security protocols the router can use.
• Security protocols: Avoid anything that only has WEP. WAP or WAP2 are the bare minimums you should aim for. I’ve discussed these in-depth towards the end of this guide.
• VPN Compatibility: Not all VPNs support direct VPN installation on the router. Go with the ones which do. All the options on this list do support VPN as it’s a list of the best vpn router for small business.
• Number of ports: The more ports generally mean more convenience, especially 3.0s.
• Additional features: Routers with Beamforming(+) and Link Aggregation will offer you stronger and faster connections in specific situations.

The 5 Best VPN Router for Small Business in 2023

Here’s an overview of everything I’ve covered in this guide:

• Netgear Nighthawk x10
• Synology RT2600ac
• ASUS RT-AX88U
• Linksys EA7500
• TP-LINK AX 3000
• Understanding router terms
  • Wi-Fi standards- ac vs. ad vs. ax
  • MU-MIMO
  • Security- WEP vs. WPA vs. WPA-2
  • Beamforming
  • Link Aggregation
  • 4Ghz vs. 5Ghz bands.

Let’s get started then?

1. Netgear Nighthawk x10

“Perfect balance between features and pricing”.

Here’s an overview:

• Price: About (Check and buy here).
• Bands: 802.11ac/ad
• Wireless range: 2500 sq. ft
• Tri-band
• MU-MIMO
• Beamforming+
• Link aggregation
• Alexa voice controls
• 7Ghz processors
• 1GB RAM
• 6 LAN Ports
• 1 WAN Port

The Nighthawk x10 is one of the few routers on this list supporting the 802.11ad standards. That means the 60Ghz band and extremely fast speeds, theoretically capping at 7.2Gbps. Being Tri-band, it can support more devices with better speeds.

Its 160MHz frequency is another gift which offers 2x Wi-Fi speeds when connecting to mobile devices.

The hardware is equally impressive. It flaunts a 1.7Ghz processor and 1GB RAM. It offers 4 ports.

It’s also compatible with Alexa voice controls. There’s MU-MIMO as well as Beamforming+. These work together to get you some of the fastest speeds in the industry.

It has 6 LAN ports. Because it supports Link Aggregation, two of these ports can be combined for extremely fast connections and data transfer. 1 WAN port is available.

You can customize it using the admin panel with ease. Block unblock websites for your children and a lot more.

2. Synology RT2600ac

“Impressive customizations acceptable speed, inexpensive”.

Overview:

• Price:  (Check and buy here).
• Bands: 802.11ac/ad
• Wireless range: 2500 sq. ft
• Dual-band
• MU-MIMO
• Beamforming
• 7Ghz processors
• 512MB RAM
• 4 LAN Ports
• 1 WAN Port
• Dual WAN
• VPN support: Yes
• No Link aggregation

The Synology RT2600ac has a range of about 3,000 sq.ft which is perfect for most small-biz offices.

It uses the 802.11ac band and does offer MU-MIMO capabilities. Beamforming too is supported.

It has 4 LAN and 1 WAN Ports.  One of its primary features is its dual WAN. When needed, one of the LAN ports can be converted to a WAN port.

It lets you use two different ISPs at the same time. This helps your business if one of your ISPs frequently goes down or you simply need two different internet speeds.

What makes it one of the best wireless vpn router for small business?  Its customization and security features. It lets you create profiles and allow/block certain websites for them. The router also features in-built DDoS protection, bandwidth management, and threat prevention.

It can be used as an advanced VPN server letting you create secure networks for your employees and even remote teams.

It can even be turned into a complete multimedia server. Using SD Cards or USBs, you can share and/or stream files on connected devices with ease.

3. ASUS RT-AX88U

“One of the best routers money can buy”.

Overview:

• Price: (Check and buy  here).
• Bands: 802.11ax and older
• Dual-band
• Dual WAN
• MU-MIMO
• Beamforming
• 8Ghz processors
• 1GB RAM
• 8 LAN Ports
• 1 WAN Port
• VPN support: Yes
• Link aggregation

This one’s expensive. I’m just being upfront so you don’t waste your time on this router if you’re looking for more budget-friendly options. Also, if you’re looking for small office vpn router, this definitely isn’t “small”.  However, it sure is one of the best wireless VPN router for small business in 2023.

For starters, it supports the 802.11ax standards. These are faster than the more common 802.11ac standards most options on this list are offering. In fact, it can “theoretically” offer upto 6Gbps which is impressive.

(Image source: Amazon).

It even has a “target wake time” feature. This lets you schedule when your devices wake up/sleep saving them battery.

It’s the only router on this list offering 8 LAN ports. You can connect most of your workstations with a wire if you wish to. It does provide MU-MIMO.

For Beamforming, ASUS has its own version of it and calls it AiRadar Beamforming which is provided with the router.

It not only supports Link Aggregation but also WAN aggregation (Dual WAN).  Its 1.8Ghz quad core processor is one of the strongest processors in this budget.

It has very impressive parental controls. In this case, you can use these to monitor/manage your employees better.

AirProtection pro protects the router from attacks and threats increasing security for your business, forever, free.

Its advanced QoS lets you prioritize tasks. In fact, its wtfast® technology is capable of detecting gaming devices and selecting the fastest/shortest server route to minimize ping.

4. Linksys EA7500

“Not the most feature-rich, very pocket-friendly and gets the job done”.

Overview:

• Price: (Check and buy  here).
• Bands: 802.11ac
• Wireless range: 1500 sqft.
• Dual-band
• MU-MIMO
• Beamforming
• 4Ghz processors
• 256MB RAM
• 4 LAN Ports
• 1 WAN Port
• VPN support: Yes
• No Link aggregation

This is one of the most pocket-friendly options on this list. Being honest? It’s not the best in terms of features but it’s not a disappointment in any way.

It too is a dual band router functioning on both 2.4Ghz as well as the 5Ghz band. Being 5Ghz, it obviously supports 802.11ac standards.

The range is rather limited at just 1500 square feet. It does offer MU-MIMO as well as Beamforming. The hardware isn’t the most impressive and it only has 256MB RAM and a 1.4Ghz dual core processor.

Obviously, it supports VPNs. All the three most common VPN protocols, including IPSec, L2TP and PPTP are supported.

Link Aggregation and Dual WAN features are obviously not offered.

5. TP-LINK AX 3000

“Pocket friendly & feature-rich”.

Overview:

• Price: (Check and buy  here).
• Bands: 802.11ax
• Wireless range: 2000 sqft.
• Dual-band
• MU-MIMO
• Beamforming
• Dual core processors
• 256MB RAM
• 4 LAN Ports
• 1 WAN Port
• VPN support: Yes

TP-Link, despite its comparatively lower and affordable price, doesn’t sacrifice on the features.

For starters, it supports WiFi 6 9802.11ax) standards.  This obviously means it’s theoretically faster than older standards.

Additionally, it also supports MU-MIMO. With 4 LAN and 1 WAN ports, connectivity wouldn’t be an issue either. Beamforming is included as well.

The “Target Wake Time” feature is available as well. Being Alexa compatible, you can talk to your router.

It does offer an advanced QoS letting you control and manage your users as well as traffic/bandwidth. Even for security, it brings in the newer and rarer WPA-3 protocol.

The hardware features a 256MB RAM and a dual core processor. It totally can be one of the best small business VPN routers in terms of “features” and pricing” rather than size.

Understanding router terms

The “how to choose a router” section had lot’s of new, foreign and maybe complex terms for some of you.

In this section, I’ll explain these to you in the simplest and shortest of words possible.

Wi-Fi Standards- ac vs. ad vs. ax standards.

802.11n is the older standard. It’s slower and has a shorter range. The theoretical speed on this one is about 450Mbps.

802.11AC (WiFi 5) is the newer standard. Although, it too is about 9 years old at this point. However, it’s faster and has a longer range than its predecessor.

The theoretical speed on this one is about 3.47Gbps. It however only operates on the 5Ghz band. (Yes, it’s backward compatible. Older devices can still be connected flawlessly).

Do note that there are 2 versions of the ac standard. Always go with the “wave 2” version as it’s a newer (2016) version with faster speeds and better range.

The newest version is the WiFi 6 standard. Its industrial name is 802.11ax. It’s a dual-band standard so it supports both the 5Ghz band as well as the 2.4Ghz band. Theoretically, this is the fastest and is capable of speeds up to 14Gbps.

802.11ad is another WiFi standard on routers. It’s way faster than the “ac” standards and the theoretical speed is set at 7Gbps. In the real-world, you still get about 3Gbps which is extremely fast.

However, the “ad” routers work on the 60Ghz frequency. This can’t penetrate walls. As a result, the range on these is very limited. It’s actually less than 4meters!

The “ac” standards on the other hand, while slower than “ad”, have a much longer range (about 35 meters).

So, when “speed” (gaming/ 4K streaming etc.) is your priority, you should go for the “ad” standard. However, when distance/range is what you need, the “ac” standards will help you out.

Do note that there have been many other standards prior to the “n” standard. However, they’re mostly obsolete now. Similarly, multiple newer standards are either being developed or have already been developed. However, they’re either limited to a few devices, or have flaws that still need to be worked upon.

MU-MIMO

Another term you’ll  find mentioned repeatedly on this piece list of best routers for small business is “MU-MIMO”.

It is an abbreviation for “Multiple Input Multiple Output”.

In simpler words (because that’s what I promised), it just means “it can connect to multiple devices simultaneously”.

In other words, a router that doesn’t have MU-MIMO, sends data to each connected device in a queue and not simultaneously.

Although, the difference isn’t noticeable to the naked eye. Most of you probably thought normal routers connect simultaneously to all devices.

MU-MIMO can bypass this limitation and results in faster connections. It can send data to more than one devices at the same time without prioritizing one over others.

Do note that currently the maximum no. of simultaneous connections is 4 for MU-MIMO. A 5^th device can obviously be connected, however, it uses the older, “queue” technology instead of MU-MIMO.

There’s only a minor drawback, or “requirement” for MU-MIMO to work. It only works on the 5GHz band. This means, it’s only compatible with 802.11ac routers, the Wave 2 versions.

Do note that MU-MIMO is only beneficial for downlinks and not uplinks

Also, the receiving device too must be MU-MIMO compatible. However, in 2022 that’s not as rare as it was a few years back.

Security – WEP vs. WPA vs. WPA 2 vs WPA 3

Because you’re looking for the best routers for small business, security is important.

There are multiple security protocols available for routers. However, getting into the details is very complex, time-consuming and honestly not very practical when choosing a router for small business.

So, let’s just cover the basics without wasting a lot of time?

WEP

WEP stands for “Wired Equivalent Privacy”. I like to call it “Worst Encryption Protocol”. Yeah, you get an idea, don’t you? It’s ancient, and not really secure.

If you like “technicalities”, WEP uses 64-bit and 128-bit encryption. It also used a “fixed key system” for data transfer.

It’s so bad (and vulnerable) that I’d recommend disabling WEP if you wish to be truly secure.

WPA

WPA stands for Wi-Fi Protected Access. It’s more secure than WEP. WPA uses 256-bit encryption, exponentially more secure than what WEP offered.

WPA uses TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity) for data transfer. It basically generates a new key for each packet of data. In simpler words? It’s more secure than WEP.

WPA-2

This is the son/successor/newer version to the WPA. I’m sure you’ve heard of AES encryption? It uses that. The U.S military uses AES as well. Meaning? It’s secure. Very. AES replacing TKIP is almost a landmark in router security.

WPA-3

It’s still not mainstream. However, it’s the newest standard. In simpler words, it’s better and stronger than WPA-2. Need more explanations?

Well, PMF (Protected Management Frames) were optional in WPA-2, they’re mandatory for WPA-3. It also supports 192-bit encryption for its enterprise version while the WPA-2 used 128-bit.

Initial key exchange is done using Simultaneous Key Exchange (Simultaneous Authentication of Equals) on WPA-3 while WPA-2 used PSK (Pre Shared Key) protocol.

Bottomline? Use WPA-3 when available.

Beamforming

Routers generally send out signals in “all directions”. However, routers which have Beamforming are capable of, well, “forming beams”.

In simpler words, they can detect devices, and concentrate their network “beams” directly at the devices. This results in faster and stronger connections.

If budget allows, going for a router that supports Beamforming can be beneficial for your small business.

Link Aggregation

It’s a feature that lets you connect two LAN ports for better and faster connectivity. It also helps as a failsafe. If one of the links fail, the other picks it up.

Do you need that? That’s up to your decision.

2.4Ghz vs. 5Ghz bands

Most routers  on this list are either dual-band, or tri-bands. However, how do they differ? Why should you care? Which suits you better?

These bands primarily dictate the speed and range for your router.

2.4Ghz is the older frequency. It’s used not just by routers, but also by microwaves, baby monitors, and most older “wireless” appliances. This is why it faces a lot of interference from these devices and hence is slower.

However, it has a much better range than the 5Ghz band. That’s because it’s more capable of going through solid objects.

Similarly, the 5Ghz band is much faster than the 2.4Ghz band, however, it’s limited in range as it can’t go through solid objects as good as the 2.4Ghz band.

Tri-band routers are basically a 2.4Ghz+ 5Ghz+ 5Ghz routers. You can go for these if you’ve multiple devices in your office and would need high speed connection on each of them simultaneously. Your router wouldn’t have to “reduce speed” as more devices connect.

(Source: Netgear Youtube)

Practically speaking, a dual-band router satisfies most needs. However, in a smart office or with dozens of employees, Tri-band will be the better option.

Conclusion- Which is the best VPN router for small business?

It’s like asking which is the best dress on the planet. It’ll largely depend on your organization’s size and specific requirements.

However, you can pick literally any of these and your business would thank you. That’s why they’re on this list, aren’t they?

If you’re terribly confused, just go with the Nighthawk x10. It’s been here for a very long time and it’s been impressive.

I do hope I helped you find your best VPN router for small business? Go get yourself a router then.

The best cloud backup for small business in 2023: These tools will help you backup your bluishness data and keep you protected from potential threats.

In some cases, these tools also help with legal issues and requirements. As a small business, you may not have an IT staff, most of these tools do not require one. They’re extremely easy to understand, use and manage.

Without wasting time, let’s get started eh?

How to choose best cloud backup for small business?

The easy way out? Just go with Acronis Cyber Protect or CrashPlan.

But, I’d like you to be able to make these decisions on your own. What exactly should you look for in the best small business cloud backup tool? What makes one of these better than the others?

Let’s go over some of the basics first eh?

• Device compatibility: as a small business, you certainly use more than just a laptop to get things done. It’s best to go with backup solutions which support mobile phones, NAS, and other devices you may be using.
• Ransomware/malware protection: Over 37% businesses were attacked by ransomware in 2021. This number will only go up and hence you need something that not doesn’t just offer backup, but also protection.
• Datacenter location/choices: It’s best if you get to choose your datacenter location. If you can’t, at least try to get a privacy-friendly location.
• Versioning: It’s just a feature which lets you keep each new change in your backup file as a different “version”. This lets you restore to each change-point instead of you simply having the latest backup.
• Additional users and permissions: as a business you probably have a few employees. It’s better if you can add users to your backup software and grant them specific levels of access, isn’t it?
• Legal features: This isn’t a must and not all tools offer this. However, if your backup tool offers legal compliances, retention of sensitive files and breadcrumbs it’s a nice plus.
• Pricing: It’s best to spend a few extra bucks andget the better tool than to save a few bucks and lose data worth thousands of dollars and hours.
• End-to-End encryption: This is the best kind of protection out there. E2E would guarantee that no one, not even the backup company can access your data even if they wanted to.
• Other backup-specific features: You can also look for basic features such as scheduling, incremental/differential/continuous backups/remote backup management etc.

While this isn’t “everything”, I’m sure you’ve got  an idea by now. Haven’t you? Let’s get you that cloud backup solution for small business you came here for.

1. Acronis Cyber Protect

Website: https://www.acronis.com/en-us/products/cyber-protect/backup/

Noteworthy features:

• NAS/mobile devices supported
• User-permissions
• Disk imaging (backing up entire system)
• Tape multiplexing and multistreaming
• Hardcore legal features
• 8 datacenter choices
• Unlimited versioning and users
• Anti malware and ransomware features
• Starting price: $65.00

This is a cloud backups for business that’s built specifically for “businesses”. For starters, it supports “continuous backups”. This means work is saved almost in real-time as changes are made to it.

It also lets you back your entire system up in a single image file! It offers arguably the best recovery time in the industry by letting you run your backup instantly as a Windows or Linux virtual machine.

You can obviously set up different devices and employees (or just friends) and set custom permission levels for each.

There’s an in-built malware scanner. This helps not only keep your backups clean, but restore cleaner versions even if malwares existed on your system.

It also is capable of “saving only newly changed data” while ignoring duplicate that that already exists. It saves space as well as bandwidth.

Tape multiplexing and Tape multistreaming make backups faster by allowing multiple clients and multiple devices to backup simultaneously.

I personally love its legal features. There’s a “data protection map” which keeps you in compliance. There’s another feature which lets you run forensic analysis and keep memory dumps, process information and other such sensitive things in account.

It’s one of the very few small business cloud backup solutions that actually has 8 different datacenters. This means you get to choose the level of privacy (laws) your company or data needs to comply to!

Unlimited versioning, users, scheduling are just some of its other features that your business needs.

A number of you may be using some of the best NAS for small businesses, well, Acronis supports those and even mobile devices.

Despite being extremely feature-rich, it’s one of the cheaper backup solutions on this list. The plans start at  $65.00 although depending on the add-ons and other specs, they may vary. Some of the most advanced plans cost $1000+.

2. Uranium Backup

Website: https://www.uranium-backup.com/

Noteworthy features:

• A free forever plan exists
• Network/ FTP/ Hyper-V and Tape backups
• Incremental/full/scheduled backups
• Phone support
• Remote client management
• Starting price for the paid plan: EUR 80.00/month.

If you need the best small business cloud backup software but for free, Uranium Backup may be worth a peek.

On top of cloud backup, it also supports network backups and FTP backups. This protects you against malware Maybe you’re looking for tape backups (even LTFS mode) or Hyper-V backups (backing up your VM directly from the host)? Those are supported as well.

The software is capable of incremental/ full as well as differential backups.  Even SQL servers can be backed up.

If you’re short on time or buried in workload, it even lets you schedule your  backups.

They do offer some of the best support in the industry (for paid users). You sure can e-mail them but it’s the phone support which makes them different.

GDPR and other compliances are taken care of as well. It even lets you customize as well as export backup histories.

It even lets you connect multiple clients for backup and manage them remotely!

There’s obviously the free forever plan. However, it doesn’t have the encryption, differential/incremental backups or most other features. To avail those features, the cheapest paid plan starts at €80.00/month.

There are 8 different versions of the software which are basically the different plans you can avail.

3. CrashPlan

Website: https://www.crashplan.com/en-us/

Noteworthy points:

• Not cheap, $9.99/device.
• Block-level backups
• Deduplication
• Incremental/continuous and scheduled backups
• Web-browser interface supported
• Protection from ransomware
• Lossless data compression

CrashPlan is without doubt one of the best small business cloud backup tools out there.

I’ll be upfront here, it’s on the more expensive side of things. The standard plan is called “Small Business” and starts at $9.99/device. The “per device” cost is what makes it expensive. So, if you’ve multiple devices or would like a cheaper solution, do skip to the next options.

However, in my opinion CrashPlan is more than worth its asking price so you might as well give it a try?

Like most other options here, it too supports AES 256-bit military grade encryption.

You can choose if you want continuous/ incremental or scheduled backups.

It’s not just capable of retaining multiple versions, but, also lets you choose the frequency as well as the duration for these versions should be kept.

It also lets you attach a secondary storage device for your backups, just in case. You can also assign priority levels to files so that the more important files get backed up first.

You can restore your data on the same device you backed up from, to a new device, all you need is a web browser.

As is expected and required from any tool claiming to be best cloud backup for small business, it does protect you against ransomware. Because backups happen every 15 minutes, and multiple previous versions are retained. You can easily recover a much earlier version when your system wasn’t yet affected.

Additionally, CrashPlan uses a separate compartment for each individual device’s data. This means even if one of your devices is compromised, the rest of your data stays safe.  Data is stored in “blocks” rather than a single file.

It also uses deduplication which means it doesn’t backup the same file twice, even if there are multiple copies of it on your system. It massively helps save space.

Obviously this is all automated. The backups happen automatically without you having to lift a finger.

It even uses lossless data compression to reduce the file size for your backups without degrading data quality.

4. iDrive

Website: https://www.idrive.com/

Notable features:

• Forever free plan (10 GB)
• Disk cloning
• Supports nearly all devices
• Server backups
• Continuous/scheduled backups
• Compresses data for file-size and bandwidth
• Remote user management
• Legal compliances managed
• Unlimited users
• 30 versions
• Physically ships backups when needed
• Saves data forever (unless you delete manually)

I personally believe iDrive is one of the simpler and yet most effective backup solutions out there.

For starters, it’s compatible with everything. Computers, mobiles phones, Macs and even NAS (Synology/ QNAP/Netgear etc. supported).

Server backups (SQL, Hyper-V, Oracle, MS SharePoint etc.) are supported as well.

You can add external drives and USB sticks to your backup set and then these can be backed up as well.

Continuous data backup helps backup only the “new/changed” data in real-time (almost). You can obviously also schedule your backups. It also supports compression for bandwidth and space optimization.

It offers a control panel using which you can manage remote devices and backups as well.  It also offers some of the best user-management options which you can use for your employees.

Even on the legal side, it takes care of compliances and requirements.

There’s this very unique feature where you can get your data shipped to you, physically! Sure, it takes time but it’s more secure, doesn’t require the internet and oh yes, it’s cool!  (Obviously remote and instant backups are possible as well).

Unlike some other options on this list, it doesn’t have unlimited versioning. However, the 30 versions it does offer do seem enough, don’t they?

It does support disk cloning so you can back your entire hard disk up, either locally or on the cloud.

There’s this “True Achieving” feature. This basically means everything you ever backed up stays forever on your iDrive cloud unless you manually delete it!

There’s the AES-256 bit encryption which really is no big deal and more like the standard encryption we’ve come to expect by now.

Now, you do get a forever free plan with 10 GB storage. The first paid plan starts at $3.71/month.

5. Veeam

Website: https://www.veeam.com/

Notable features:

• Supports most devices
• E2E encryption
• Ransomware protection
• Disk imaging
• 30-day free trial
• DR Testing
• Starting price: Need to “request quote”.

Veeam is capable of backing up and restoring data from cloud servers, physical/virtual drives, and even NAS.

It uses image backups which speed up the process and offers better recovery. You can select to either recover specific items, or the entire backed up drive/file.

It encrypts the data End-to-End which makes it impervious to ransomware and other similar attacks. Even has in-built malware scanners which stop ransomwares even before they enter your backups.

Now, it has different modules which offer different features. The pricing varies accordingly. Unfortunately, the pricing isn’t very transparent and you need to “request” the pricing quotes from them.

On the brighter side, there’s a massive 30-day free trial. That gives you enough window to audit it for your small business, doesn’t it?

Its built in replication offers security and speed even for VMware and vSphere backups. There’s also an instant recovery engine which makes instant recovery to multiple VMs possible.

DR Testing is a feature that lets you “predict outcomes” although it’s only available on the more expensive plans.

My only complaint is that the interface is a bit complicated as compared to some other options listed here.

Which is the best cloud backup for small business in 2023?

Acronis Cyber Protect is my first recommendation. It certainly lacks a few features as compared to CrashPlan, which is my second recommendation to you.

Go with Acronis if you’re super tight on your budget but need the most features. Go with CrashPlan if you need the best features and budget isn’t a major issue.

With that, I’ll be signing off. I do hope this piece has been informative  and helpful.

Like the previous point, you should expect to pay more for local SEO services if your business operates in multiple locations. This makes sense because each location must create its own local links, maintain its own SEO services wellington Google My Business profile, and have unique content based on local search terms and customer needs. This doesn’t mean hiring SEO agencies that work for free until they generate leads, traffic, and new clients.

Expect your marketing plan to include multiple efforts, including keyword research with a focus on local search terms, content creation, and link building through dating. Technical SEO isn’t ignored either, so you can expect your ranking on Google’s and other search engine results pages to increase. Search engine optimization can be defined as “anything you do to improve your search engine visibility.” But SEO has evolved beyond just on-page optimization and link building. Once unrelated areas such as social media and content marketing have become necessary ingredients for a successful search engine optimization strategy. So, here are nine ideas to improve your visibility in search engines, on a budget, of course. When it comes to local SEO for local businesses, how much you pay depends on your needs and the ranking of the current website.

These types of “ready-made” packages are often sold by inferior SEO agencies that are more concerned with delivering a specific amount of tangible work per month than producing results. Are you in an unusual niche or are you one of the few companies in your area that offers a particular service or product? However, if you have dozens of direct competitors, you’ll need a higher local SEO budget to stand out from the online crowd. You need more links and fresher, more relevant content to improve or even maintain your place.

For any small business or local business looking to stay afloat, search engine visibility is a must. Running paid ads is a great way to get instant visibility and highly targeted traffic, but it’s also crucial that you work on your organic visibility in the long run. The problem is that search engine optimization is a complex marketing strategy that requires constant effort over time. Most companies spend between 7 and 10% of sales on the combined set of marketing efforts in a given year. Companies that fall below this average tend to perform below product quality unless they are established brands whose names are synonymous with their flagship products as a genre. Those who overspend on marketing allocate resources that are away from core services that need to be able to handle more capacity to grow the business.

It’s a set of practices aimed at getting high-quality traffic visiting your website. Many SEO companies offer monthly or annual contracts that revolve around a monthly calendar. At Outer Box, we create our strategies several months in advance and reflect on our work, results, and progress at least monthly. A two-way communication street between the SEO agency and the client is crucial to achieving the best possible results. It’s important to note that while we offer monthly subscriptions, we don’t offer one-size-fits-all monthly SEO packages, because that kind of SEO approach isn’t the most effective. Many monthly packages offered by other companies include a certain number and type of services, such as written articles, backlinks obtained, and optimized pages.

Unfortunately, it does not offer social media and online reputation management services. Hibu offers a wide range of local SEO services, from listings and citations to smart website creation and brand reputation management. A dedicated account manager coordinates the reach to help you get more reviews and responds when your business receives online reviews. It also offers social media and ad management, making it an all-in-one search engine marketing and local search optimization solution for your small business. Again, this is a major reason why business owners love the economics of an expertly crafted SEO campaign compared to other marketing channels. A simple SEO campaign typically takes 8 to 16 months before a usually static and consistent monthly investment begins to generate a remarkable ROI.

Talking to a small business SEO services specialist beforehand will give you a better understanding of how well they can strategize your campaign and produce the best results for your small business. SEO plans and pricing options are often determined by whether you want to optimize your site for organic search, produce a lot of content, create a review profile, or focus on paid search ads. For example, if you just need help setting up Google Business Profile and doing technical SEO, this could be a unique project. If you really want to grow your business, you may need to create a lot of content focused on a blog and local landing pages so that you can rank better in the SERPs.

There are no published prices, but an account manager works with your budget to create a customized quote that meets your needs. General services of SEO, content marketing, digital advertising, social media marketing; it all adds up. Small businesses can expect to pay anywhere from $500 per month for low-quality functional services, up to $5,000 or more per month for “good” but not great service. Any agency that offers SEO services for small businesses needs to understand their business before they can start promoting it.

The customer experience is one of the most important pillars of today’s marketing. If you can identify customers’ most important moments, you know how to best reach them. Hiring and retaining the best talent is essential to success in digital marketing. However, companies are noticing that there is a significant generation gap, as the supply of specialized profiles does not always meet demand. Brands, especially if they’re new, don’t have a loyal customer base.

Imagine setting up an automated email marketing campaign where all actions are automatically triggered and executed. Instead of spending the day manually completing daily tasks, you can now focus your energy on driving strategy. The usability of the website and the user experience are important factors in this section of your analysis. How does your competitor design its products: Are they separated by function, target segment, prices or are they unfiltered, which causes complicated traces of breadcrumbs? Whether the customer can easily navigate through your competitor’s resources and successfully process their payment is an important knowledge. Understanding how your competitors save abandoned carts or whether they don’t care at all is key to your competitive advantage.

(See the insertion “Using Customer Focus Groups to Evaluate Value.”) The following describes a process for creating a value model using field value ratings. To measure value in practice, it is crucial to have a common understanding of its value in the trading markets. Before we go into detail about creating value models, we need to briefly explain what we mean by value.

The customer’s system may only contain aggregated order information that only shows how much has been paid in total. To make the task even more complicated, invoices themselves often contain incomplete item descriptions that make it difficult to determine exactly what was purchased. Initially, GCS assembled a case team consisting of a consulting manager, a consultant and a business analyst. The project team was a smaller, cross-functional group with representatives from each of the departments on the steering committee and was responsible for working with the GCS case team.

It’s true that most companies will use some form of market segmentation, which means they know if their target audience is primarily online, offline, or a combination of both. But to be heard among the multitude of promotions and ads present in our lives, experimenting with a variety of marketing methods is not a bad thing. It’s incredibly rare to find a successful brand that doesn’t use social media. For this reason, social media marketing should take a firm and consistent place in your marketing strategy. The real value of smart marketing is getting the right deals at the right time in the right place. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the location where you run your business.

The target audience is who the company expects to buy your product or service. If we use the previous example of diapers, the product itself is aimed at babies and toddlers, but of course they will not be the ones who make the actual purchase. In these circumstances, advertising and marketing efforts should be directed to the target audience, which is made up of the parents and guardians making the purchase. Your marketing strategy framework is more of an overarching strategic overall plan that is connected to the entire brand and its business goals.

Many customers, such as .B the commercial producer, understand their own requirements, but do not necessarily know what it is worth for them to meet these requirements. For suppliers, this lack of understanding is an opportunity to convincingly demonstrate the value of what they offer and help customers make smarter purchasing decisions. If you’re ready to bring more traffic to your website with high-quality content being published all the time, check out our Content Builder service. Arrange a quick consultation and I’ll send you a free PDF version of my books. Get started today and generate more traffic and leads for your business.

Brochures are great for many businesses that rely on local marketing, such as .B a car wash or restaurant. If that’s what you and your brand are, you’ll need a brochure template that’s ready to use right out of the box when you have an event, sale, or the opportunity to publish some. If your sales team introduces itself to one of your potential marketing agency customers, you want a brand launch pad as a marketing guarantee. You don’t want to run the risk of having different information on different covers, fake brand colors, or messages that don’t match. Every time you send an email, from a newsletter to an order confirmation, you create an interaction between your audience and your brand.

There may or may not be many different government regulations that may or may not be in your favor, and besides, political factors are likely to be out of your control anyway. It also requires a lot of work, so this type of marketing material is the next level. The more information you provide, the more visibility you get online. LinkedIn company pages are pretty comprehensive, while Instagram bios are short and creative. Our information is provided free of charge and is intended to be useful for a variety of companies based in the United Kingdom (gov.uk/business) and Québec (infoentrepreneurs.org). Due to its general nature, the information cannot be considered exhaustive and should never be used as a substitute for legal or professional advice.

Email campaigns and various social media platforms have made it very easy to reach a wider audience. The main advantage is that you can do all this without burning a hole in your pocket. The leads you can find online are a much larger group than you can only attract locally. With digital marketing techniques, you can reach a global audience in a cost-effective, scalable, and measurable way. When small businesses start, they often focus on how to get the first customers in the door.