The Business Place – Page 4 – Online Business Advice

3 Simple Company Compliance Tips For New Small Businesses

If you are in the process of purchasing or starting your first business it can be an exciting time but also one that is fraught with concerns and worries. Not so many worries about whether your business will be successful, as we would hope you are well prepared to make that happen. Instead, the worries we are talking about are trying to ensure your get all the legalities right to ensure that you comply with commercial law.

One of the best ways to allay any concerns you have is to seek out an established commercial lawyer who can advise you not just how to ensure your business opens with all the legalities in place, but also your compliance continues as your business grows. One of the areas of commercial law they are likely to advise you upon first is company compliance.

Company compliances are those legal tasks which every business has to adhere to, and whilst the details of them might not seem the most exciting, they are essential if you are to remain compliant with commercial law in this country. To further that cause here are three tips you should follow to ensure you adhere to what is legally required of you.

Digital Marketing Strategies For Accountants

If you are an accountant, run an accountancy business, or are responsible for the marketing activities of an accountancy company, are you making the most of all the marketing strategies that are open to you?

We often find that when we consult with accountancy businesses that they may be trying one or two marketing methods but did not realize that were several more ways they could bring potential clients to their website.

The other scenario is that they knew of them, but just did not know how to take advantage of them, that is, until they asked us to do it for them.

So, if your accountancy business wants to expand, attract new clients and become the number one accountancy service in your area, here are some effective marketing strategies you should implement, and if you need any assistance in doing so, our agency is happy to help you.

Digital Marketing Strategies: Pay Per Click Advertising (PPC)

This is a marketing strategy that scares many accountancy businesses, and it is understandable. It is understandable because they, and we, have heard so many horror stories of companies spending and wasting thousands of dollars on paid advertising, and getting little in return.

The reason for that is that they started using PPC advertising with no prior research, planning or monitoring. That is a recipe for disaster, and it does not have to be that way. If you seek a consultant or agency who are experts in PPC, they can create a campaign for you that is going to get you results.

A Brief Guide To Franchise Agreements For First Time Franchisees

One of the most popular ways of starting a business is to purchase a franchise from an existing company. These so-called ‘businesses in a box’ allow the franchisee to benefit from a proven business model and the branding and marketing power of the franchise company.

Famous examples of franchise businesses include McDonald’s and Starbucks. however, not all franchises require the million-dollar franchise fees that these can incur. Many franchise opportunities can be started with fees of less than ten thousand dollars, however, whatever level you choose to start at, you must know the legalities and commercial law relating to franchise businesses.

Franchise Agreements – What They Are And What They Include

One of the legal documents you need to be aware of is the franchise agreement. This is the legal contract that exists between you, the franchisee, and the franchise company aka the franchisor. A franchise agreement will include the rights of each party and set out each of their respective obligations through the period of the franchise term.

Some of the specific terms within a franchise agreement will include:

Franchise fees which are payable by the franchisee
Rights of the franchisee as they relate to the branding and intellectual property of the franchisor
Obligations of the franchisee relating to their staff and staff training
Rights of the franchisee and franchisor upon the franchise agreement being terminated

7 Main Components Of A Commercial Lease

For the vast majority of businesses, owning the building from which they operate or trade is usually not feasible. The main reason for that is the huge financial obligation necessary to purchase such buildings and the additional costs associated with their operation and maintenance.

This is why commercial leases are a legal document that most business owners will be familiar with, as that they allow them to lease a building or offices from a commercial landlord to trade from. Each landlord may have their own bespoke commercial lease, but the terms and conditions within it must comply with commercial law relating to commercial property leasing.

Each commercial lease will contain several components which form the agreement between the commercial landlord and the business owner leasing the premises. Below are seven that are certain to be included.

Lease Duration: The duration or ‘term’ of the commercial lease will state how long the tenant will rent the property from the landlord. This has importance for both the tenant and the landlord and is thus likely to never be too short not too long a duration. Before signing a business owner needs to consider if the term is congruent with their business’s growth and development.

Building Contracts And Your Options For Terminating Them

Having a new building created for your business is a huge commitment and such is the undertaking it is little surprise that protections exist both under commercial law, and often as a clause contained within the building contract itself. With the huge implications for your business financially, being able to cancel a building contract if all is not going smoothly is a right you will wish to have. Here is how that right could manifest itself.

Building Contract Termination

The definition of the termination of a building contract is that it releases both parties from some or all of their obligations under the contract. However, that does mean that either party does not still have rights that continue thereafter.

Your Grounds For Terminating A Building Contract

In most instances, commercial law provides the basis upon which a contract for building work can be terminated which we have outlined below.

#1 Breach Of Contract

Breach of contract will exist if the other party, in this case, the construction company, are failing to meet their obligations under the building contract. The list of breaches is almost endless, but it could include not using specified materials, not complying with building regulations, and failing to meet agreed milestones within a specified time. You must ensure a breach has taken place by first identifying it, and then gathering evidence of that breach.

How To Calculate If You Can Afford To Bid On The Top Keywords On Google Ads

There are lots of businesses that could benefit enormously if they were to implement a Google Ads campaign, but many do not because of concerns they have. One of those concerns is not knowing whether or not they could afford to bid on the keywords that they wish to target. Given that within any single business niche there could be hundreds of possible keywords all with varying costs per click (CPC) then the level of uncertainty can be high.

We are not here to criticize business owners for their uncertainty over whether they can afford to bid and that stopping them from proceeding with a Google Ads campaign. After all, it would be foolish to plough ahead into the unknown in any element of your business if you were not aware of what the costs are going to be. However, what we can do is give you a simple formula that you can apply to every keyword and establish if it is affordable for you.

To begin the analysis there are 4 specific numbers or pieces of data that you need. These are:

Profit Per Sale ($) e.g. $350
Profit Margin As A Decimal e.g. 30% Profit Margin = 0.3
Website Conversion Rate As A Percentage Converted To A Decimal e.g. 1 In 100 = 1% = 0.01
Estimated Cost Per Click Of Each Target Keyword As Per Google Keyword Planner e.g. $4.75

What Is Linux?

It is almost certain that if you have used a computer or the internet for some time you will have been in a scenario where Linux was playing a part in what you were doing. Now, you might be thinking that not only do you not know what Linux is, but you are also 100% certain that you have never used it.

That is a reaction that many people have, and it is not unreasonable simply because Linux is not something that is immediately recognisable nor is it especially prominent. However, we can say with as close to certainty as we can that you and billions of others come into contact with Linux almost every single day.

Linux is used by Google, Facebook, and Twitter, which are in the Top 10 of the most visited websites on the internet. To give you an idea of just how many visits they get, their respective daily visitors are 29 billion for Google, 7 billion for Facebook, and 1 billion for Twitter. Many others use Linux, so it is a fair assumption that every internet user has some kind of interaction with Linux daily.

Linux Basics

Linux is an open-source operating system. Operating systems are used to manage all the hardware that is found in devices with the most obvious ones being desktop computers and laptops. Other examples of operating systems include Windows and Mac OS and the primary function of all of them is to allow hardware and software to communicate effectively.

What Is An SSL Certificate, And Do I Need One?

SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer, and it is a digital certificate that is used to confirm and authenticate a website’s identity. It is also used to encrypt information which is sent to the server on which the website is hosted. You can identify a website that has SSL, by looking at the address bar which will have ‘https’ at the front of the URL. A website without SSL will not have the ‘s’ at the end. You should have one because, in these days of data theft etc., Google sees having SSL as important, and it is now a ranking factor.

Can YouTube videos help bring traffic to my website?
Absolutely. YouTube just happens to be the second biggest search engine on the internet so if your product and services lend themselves to video then it can be an excellent source of traffic. Even if you offer an intangible service, such as accounting, or legal services, there is still plenty of opportunities to create informative videos for the sort of questions that get asked.

How To Prevent Websites From Being Hacked

Many unwanted events can cause the progress of a business to be stalled and if you are a business owner, doubtless you may have had to overcome some of them. One that can cause a multitude of problems for you is if your website is hacked. Apart from the logistical, legal, and financial problems that it can cause for your business, a hacked website can cause significant stress and confusion for all concerned.

Much of that confusion can stem from the fact that most business owners are not website security experts. If your home is burgled you will at least know how the thief got in as evidenced by the smashed window or the broken door lock. However, if your website is hacked, and a website security expert starts reeling off terms like bots, keylogging, cross-site-scripting, and SQL injection, you might understandably shake your head wondering what the hell they were talking about.

What is often frustrating to business owners after the event (the event being their website being hacked) is when they realise that some relatively simple and inexpensive steps could have prevented it, or at least minimised the damage caused. The phrase ‘prevention is better than the cure’ could have been invented for the issue of website hacking. So, let us look at some methods of preventing websites from being hacked.

Regularly Update Software, Apps Related To Your Website

One of the most common routes to inners of websites that are used by hackers is vulnerable software. Your website almost certainly relies on software and applications to function and any one of them could present a security hole. Most reputable software manufacturers will take action to rectify any security risks their products are deemed to have and will publish those updates. As such you should be checking regularly for those updates and install them immediately.

The Risks Of Using Cheap SEO Services

Often when we sit down to write an answer to a question about SEO, we often do not fill the entire page. With the question ‘What are the risks of using cheap SEO services?’ the problem could be that we need multiple pages to answer it. The reason for that is using an SEO agency that does everything ‘on the cheap’ can create multiple issues for your website and in turn your business, many of which are irreversible.

Let’s start with a harsh truth that applies as much to the field of SEO, as they do in any industry. There will always be those who try to cut corners, use dubious tactics, employ high-risk techniques, and do it all for an easy payout. They set their prices low because that is the only way they can hope to compete with professionals in their field.

We are not to saying that all these cheap SEO agencies are dishonest or doing anything illegal, but with SEO, as with any product or service, you will ultimately only get what you pay for. If you pay bottom dollar for SEO services, then do not be surprised if, instead of being at the top of the rankings, you end up at the bottom of them.

With cheap SEO services, the research that takes place is likely to be extremely limited. Specifically, the SEO audit, if it takes place at all, will not analyse many of the most critical SEO factors that exist on your website. Thereafter, any plan which is cobbled together will be severely compromised and lacking any credible actions that are going to make a significant difference to your ranking.