Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
Working remotely has become a fixture during COVID-19 and is likely to become more common in business once the lockdown has passed.
Cyber security is now all the more important for you and your employees. Research from DSA Connect shows that since working from home, 8 per cent of people have increased access to confidential data compared with the 6 per cent who say they have less.
It seems that companies are aware of the risks. Cyber security services provider, Nexor, says that UK Google searches for ‘cyber defense’ [sic] went up by 126 per cent between January and March 2020. That’s up 116 per cent from March 2019. Searches for ‘cyber security services’ rose by 44 per cent and ‘how to install a VPN’ increased by 40 per cent.
However, Kaspersky says that only a third (34 per cent) of small businesses are keeping employees updated on security requirements for personal devices. This can be mirrored in staff conduct. Research from Tessian shows that 52 per cent of workers feel they can get away with riskier behaviour when they work remotely.
It’s not the same case for everyone. Normally cyber security is in the hands of
Tag Archive for Getting Online
Hot Business News Today
7 ways to enhance your small business website in 2020
by Anna Jordan • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
Company websites are ever-evolving in terms of design. It’s important that small businesses understand why certain elements are changing and how they can improve their sites’ ability to improve customer experience and increase conversions and website traffic.
We’ll take you through some of the most important features and how they can improve your web presence. Some of them will be brand new to you and others you’ll know already. Some of them are also more advanced than others so if your small business website is brand new, stick with the easier ones.
1. Implement dark mode into your small business website
More and more web users are adopting dark mode in their devices and web browsers, but why is it so popular?
Some say it’s easier to read in dark mode on smaller screens. Pages in dark mode minimise blue light emissions and put less strain on the eyes when you’re reading at night.
It’s more energy efficient on OLED and AMOLED screens (though they make up a minority for device users).
Some people say it looks better too – not least those who are inclined towards midnight social media browsing. These users are more likely to have a
Hot Business News Today
7 ways to enhance your small business website in 2020
by Anna Jordan • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
Company websites are ever-evolving in terms of design. It’s important that small businesses understand why certain elements are changing and how they can improve their sites’ ability to improve customer experience and increase conversions and website traffic.
We’ll take you through some of the most important features and how they can improve your web presence. Some of them will be brand new to you and others you’ll know already. Some of them are also more advanced than others so if your small business website is brand new, stick with the easier ones.
1. Implement dark mode into your small business website
More and more web users are adopting dark mode in their devices and webs browsers, but why is it so popular?
Some say it’s easier to read in dark mode on smaller screens. Pages in dark mode minimise blue light emissions and put less strain on the eyes when you’re reading at night.
It’s more energy efficient on OLED and AMOLED screens (though they make up a minority for device users).
Some people say it looks better too – not least those who are inclined towards midnight social media browsing. These users are more likely to have a
Hot Business News Today
Cyber security and data protection for SMEs – a podcast with the experts
by Anna Jordan • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
Today’s episode brings together a panel of experts to help SMEs understand how to remain secure online and navigate the world of GDPR. It aims to help micro and small business owners become familiar with common cyber threats and take away simple practical tips to protect important data, process it correctly and improve cyber security.
Have a listen to it in the media player below.
For more advice on running your small business, head over to the UK Domain.
Want to hear more podcasts?
You can also catch our episodes with:
Entrepreneur and former Dragon, Rachel Elnaugh
Businesswoman and Dragon, Deborah Meaden
Entrepreneur and The Apprentice 2005 candidate, Tim Campbell
Gousto CEO, Timo Boldt
Entrepreneur and The Apprentice 2018 candidate, Jackie Fast
Investor and former Dragon, Piers Linney
Investment fund manager, Nicola Horlick
Supermodel turned entrepreneur, Caprice
We’ve got podcast episodes from the first series looking at:
How one business owner’s mental breakdown caused her to see trolls from her past
How one entrepreneur hired a videographer to track their every move and build their business brand
How funding a business led one entrepreneur to stress-related alopecia
One entrepreneur’s first professional public speaking engagement
Adapting to UK life and learning English before starting a business
Securing seed funding
Finding the perfect head of
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We want to hear your thoughts on Covid-19 and your small business
by Anna Jordan • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
We’ve teamed up with the UK Domain to bring you a survey on how small businesses have been feeling about their situation throughout coronavirus.
So, over to you. We would love to hear your thoughts – please take a few minutes to complete the survey below.
Updated Nominet Survey – June 2020
Step 1 of 2
Hot Business News Today
Get more traffic to your small business website – 10 tactics
by Partner Content • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Partner Content on Small Business
Whatever your business goals of being online, getting visitors to your website is one of the key elements to success. If you’re just venturing online with a new presence or finding yourself having to compete in an increasingly online world, knowing how to boost website traffic can be scary.
Don’t worry, there are plenty of different tactics you can try as a small business or startup to get your website in the spotlight. While the results can take time, many of these tactics can be implemented with minimal or no budget.
There are two main groups of tactics, on-site ideas and off-site ideas. We’re going to explain what both of these mean including some practical ideas to get you started. You can find more detailed advice on how to implement a full list of 21 traffic boosting techniques, including the ideas shared below, in our new online guide.
On-site ideas
On-site simply means tactics and techniques you can do yourself on your website. These tactics are ideas that you can be in control of and implement on your own site. Some may require a bit of technical know-how from your web developer, but the key here is
Hot Business News Today
Pivoting to an online business – 8 legal mistakes to avoid
by Marion Kennedy • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Marion Kennedy on Small Business
Many small businesses are pivoting to an online business to stay relevant and retain customers during the Covid-19 lockdown.
Having a strong presence online will of course continue to be useful after the lockdown restrictions are lifted, as it builds brand awareness and improves accessibility for customers.
However, when pivoting to an online business, there are a number of legal mistakes to avoid.
>See also: What’s the best website builder for my small business?
In a recent news story, Joe Wicks, aka The Body Coach, had trouble trying to use copyrighted music for his online fitness classes. Like Joe, if you are setting up online you will need to take care not to use copyrighted material online like music, pictures or writing, without permission. This is just one example of a legal issue that might arise when you are pivoting to an online business – read on to avoid eight common legal mistakes.
#1 – Not making the most of your website build
Various online website builders are available that let you create and run your website yourself. Alternatively, you could commission a bespoke website from a website designer, if your budget allows. To help ensure your website is
Hot Business News Today
How to customise your website to sell more overseas
by Timothy Adler • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
The benefit of a highly functional website that’s easy to navigate and is accessible from anywhere in the world is that it’s never been easier to sell overseas. But for those that want to enter overseas markets as part of their wider strategy, a website needs to do more than simply load quickly, be secure and look smart.
Figures from 2018 show that the UK exports £656.5bn of goods and services, making international business a lucrative area for many. But if you’re welcoming people from around the world to buy from or use your website, they must be able to relate to the content, understand it, and also find the website when they’re searching online for your product or service. As such, your digital platforms need to be relevant for your target audience and the territory they’re in.
How to use your website to sell overseas
Achieving this effectively requires more than a simple, literal translation of your website’s content. Making your online business truly international requires an analysis of your messaging, content, understanding of SEO, and a willingness to apply your learnings to other digital forums to continue growing your presence overseas.
Here, we share the
Hot Business News Today
Bring your small business online to survive coronavirus – Itzik Levy Q&A
by Partner Content • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Partner Content on Small Business
Managing a small business is challenging, and the global Covid-19 pandemic is making it far harder. Moving your business online can be the best way to keep it alive.
Why is moving online the best advice for small business owners?
Right now, with hundreds of millions of people worldwide under lockdown or self-isolating, everything is taking place online. It’s the only way to learn, chat with friends, or shop right now. The coronavirus pandemic was caused in part by our hyper-connected society, which enabled the virus to zip around the world on planes within a couple of weeks, but our hyper-connected society can also be the solution, at least for small business owners.
We are already used to carrying out regular daily activities online, like chatting, making transactions, and researching purchases, so moving your interactions with customers online won’t feel like a radical change for them. Covid-19 has just given people who resisted an extra push to sign up to virtual experiences.
What’s more, you have a whole wealth of online tools to choose from to support your business. Zoom video is a great resource. Google Hangouts Meet, the enterprise version of Google Hangouts, is free till
Hot Business News Today
Join the UK Domain for a live webinar on GDPR and cyber security
by Partner Content • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Partner Content on Small Business
Trusted advice and insightful tips from a panel of experts to help you protect your business, customers and their data online. Tuesday 21 April 2020 at 11am (BST). Register here.
Whether you’re running a personal training business or an online shop, keeping your customers and business safe online is just as important as sales and product or service delivery.
With thousands of cyber-attacks threatening small businesses daily and GDPR bringing data security and protection into the spotlight, it’s never been so important to understand how you need to be securing your assets online as a small business owner.
There can be a lot to get your head around, from data consent to phishing and GDPR legislation to hacking. That’s why, here at The UK Domain and in partnership with the trusted standard in data protection, iCaaS, we’ve brought together a panel of experts to share trusted advice and insightful tips on how you can protect your small business, customers and data.
The panel features: GDPR expert and co-founder of iCaaS, Nicola Hartland, Nominet’s CISO, Cath Goulding and Managing Director of cyber security company OxSec and ethical hacker, Joseph Garbett.
The webinar will cover:
How vulnerable your website and data are to cyber-attacks
What small businesses need to know about GDPR
How GDPR applies to your business and why data protection is so important
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