Over 92% of internet users turn to Google when they need to search something online. The high demand drives Google to constantly strive to improve functionality and its users’ search experience. To that end, Google decided to make mobile search its top priority. Find out why and what that means for your business.'

Google search works by using ‘bots.’ These bots are responsible for trawling through the web and sorting and categorizing websites based on the content, location, and other factors associated with the site to give users the most relevant search results. Google has long used the same algorithms and search tools for all search platforms.

However, the newest Google search updates will move in a new direction. A mobile-only search index — available only to users accessing Google search from mobile devices — will be the primary search index. Essentially, this means that mobile users and web users will get different search results even if they input the same search terms. Mobile users will have better filtered, more updated, and more relevant search results than desktop users.

The primary reason for this change is simple. Google has found that the majority of searches are now performed on mobile devices. The company is merely catering to the bigger user base by making their user experience on smartphones and tablets as responsive as possible.

Another thing that led to the mobile-first priority is the context of people’s searches. People on mobile devices often look for quick information about business hours, addresses, or the weather, or for immediate answers to whatever questions they might have. Google wants to ensure that these users get what they need when they need it.

What does this mobile-first search tool mean for your business? A lot. With this new algorithm, Google will prioritize websites that have responsive designs, and will put those sites on top of the search results page. If your business’s website isn’t responsive — if it doesn’t change depending on the size of the screen — Google will assume that it has low relevance to mobile users. Your site might land on page 82 of search results, leaving you with no clicks and no potential customers.

But it’s not enough that your business’s site is responsive. Google also takes into consideration a website’s ease of use when users interact with it. As such, you must make certain processes like user login verification and online payment easier and more efficient via mobile devices.

Site speed is another consideration in mobile-first index searches. Your website must load quickly or it will turn away users. And as more users click away from your site, your rank in the search results also goes down.

Google has made changes to its search index algorithm — but can your business keep up? To make sure your enterprise is ready for this transition, contact us. Our knowledgeable experts are ready to help with your Google-related needs.

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There’s a common notion that Macs are the most reliable computer brand because they are less likely to get viruses or crash often — but they do. Like any other computer, Macs aren’t immune to coffee spills, theft, and cybercrime. And when these things happen, we often panic. Here’s why the Time Machine is your friend when it comes to restoring your data.

What is Time Machine and why should you use it?
Time Machine is a backup system software for Macs that run on Mac OS X Leopard or later. It makes regular periodic backups in the following intervals:

• Hourly backups for the past 24 hours
• Daily backups for the past month
• Weekly backups for previous months

Since the scheduled backups don’t replace previously saved files and only save the changes you’ve made to a file, you don’t have to worry about storage space running out fast.

Let’s say you’ve been working on a file for five days. Time Machine has periodically created backups of the changes you’ve made every day. So if you need to retrieve a version of a file with changes made on day 2, you can do so even after you’ve made several changes on the file from days 3 to 5. This is because Time Machine stores multiple copies of the file from days 1 to 5.

In case you’re getting a new Mac, you can easily copy all your files from your old computer to the new one, with your settings, files, and folders intact. And if you’re backing up data from several Mac computers, there’s no need to use a separate device for each Mac, provided it has enough space for all files.

How to use Time Machine
To use Time Machine, you only need an external storage drive such as a USB, an SSD card, or any storage device that can be plugged into your Mac. Then follow these steps:

Connect an external storage device (or macOS server) to your Mac.
Go to System Preferences > Time Machine.
Click Use as Backup Disk. (It’s recommended that you click Encrypt Backup Disk before you do so, in order to set up a password for accessing your backup.)
If Time Machine doesn’t automatically pop up when you connect an external storage disk, go to System Preferences > Time Machine.
Select the storage disk you’ve just connected, then click Use Disk.

Other backup options
Although there are various other backup systems for Mac, Time Machine is one of the more practical options for users who value simplicity, convenience, and reliability. What’s more, it’s free.

That said, third-party backup systems may offer more comprehensive features. And since Time Machine only backs up data instead of the entire hard drive, restoring an entire system is relatively slower.

Despite this minor setback, Time Machine is a reliable, user-friendly, and economical way to back up your files. Whether you’re backing up a device for personal or business use, using Time Machine ensures all your files are safe and can be recovered. If you need more comprehensive backup solutions, our experts are ready to help — call us today.

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The World Wide Web Consortium recently launched the FIDO2 project, allowing users to log in to online accounts with fingerprints, facial scans, and voice recognition. This technology is now also available in popular mobile browsers like Chrome and Firefox Lite, which not only boosts security, but also makes account management much simpler.

Authenticate your profile on your mobile device

Chrome OS, Windows, MacOS, Linux, and Android are all adding features to help users safely log in using biometric identification via USB, Bluetooth, and NFC devices connected to smartphones and tablets. With such convenience, users can verify their accounts on the go.

Preventing cyberattacks with browser-based biometrics

Passwords are notoriously bad at protecting users’ accounts and the information they store. Facial scans, fingerprints, and voice recognition would make it exponentially harder for hackers to commit identity theft. That means you’re also less likely to be duped by an email from a hacker pretending to be your boss asking for the company credit card's details.

Enjoy more secure online transactions

Biometric verification will also retire the need for logging in your information when shopping online, streaming video, using cloud applications, and other internet-based transactions. Windows 10 has already adopted features that offer limited account management with fingerprints and facial scans. Samsung phones now have Samsung Pay, which turns them into digital wallets that are protected by fingerprint or iris scans.

Browser-based biometrics is starting to revolutionize and streamline the steps in verifying online accounts. It promises to add more security and ease in logging in and transacting on the internet. To keep up with the latest and greatest in browser-related innovations at your company, give us a call now.

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Data dashboards have become increasingly popular for businesses over the past few years. They are a great data visualization tool that gives you an overview of your business. Dashboards can cater to a wide variety of users, from marketing staff to project managers. Let’s take a look at how dashboards can support your business activities.

Marketing insights

An organization's marketing department typically analyzes a significant amount of data from various channels. Whether the purpose is to forecast monthly sales, predict trends, or build marketing strategies, marketing officers use dashboards to compare, sort, and analyze raw data to churn out meaningful information presented in an easy-to-understand format. This allows key decision makers to easily call the shots using that information.

Tracking sales opportunities

Sales dashboards are perfect for tracking products and services. They help you identify sales opportunities by monitoring top-selling products and comparing the growth in revenue on a periodical basis. They sync to your raw data, so your charts are always up to date, thus eliminating the need to spend hours manually entering and preparing sales reports and charts.

Social media management

Social media management is more than just posting regularly on your business’s social media accounts. In most cases, your social media platform’s default dashboard doesn’t give you deep insight into your social media campaigns. What’s more, managing multiple social media accounts can quickly become a cumbersome process since you have to use several login credentials. Instead, you can manage your accounts all at once through a comprehensive social media dashboard, saving you valuable time and effort.

Financial reports

Presenting financial data is so complex that it often leads to misinterpretation and misunderstanding of critical data. Dashboards make creating financial reports much easier, and financial analysts can take advantage of dashboards to display sensitive data in a comprehensible graphical format — be it customer invoices, progress toward revenue goals, or business expenses.

Project collaboration

Businesses of all sizes require their employees to collaborate on projects, whether on-site or online. Project supervisors need to get their teams together to give them project requirements, deadlines, and responsibilities, and to get progress updates. With the help of project collaboration dashboards, members will see the complete workflow, allowing for a more efficient and collaborative working environment.

Dashboards eliminate the complications of presenting complex business data and make your team more efficient. If you’re looking to implement dashboards and other cutting-edge tools to make your job easier, contact our consultants today.

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