You’ve created a website. You’ve put out some great content. And you’ve even gated some of it using a WordPress membership plugin. Now you’re actually ranking pretty well on Google and your organic traffic isn’t looking half-bad either. But what does any of that actually mean for your business?
Analytics let you look at what that traffic is. Where is it coming from? What pages are those visitors looking at and for how long? What is your most popular content? Who are the people visiting your site anyway? Are you reaching your ideal customers? Are you actually writing for your targeted buyer personas?
There are countless ways you can use your website traffic data to answer these questions. Here are a few of the key ones, and how they can affect your future actions.
Convey the right message
How do you tell if your message is effective or not? This can be answered, in some ways, by how long a visitor spends on any given page. If your content is a three-minute read, for instance, and people are only spending an average of one minute on that particular page, they are not reading your material completely. This means your message is not completely reaching the readers.
There can be a number of reasons for this. Maybe your content is boring. Or you’re using jargon which the reader doesn’t understand.
On the positive side, if that page is shared many times on social media and people are reading it all the way through, it is a good piece of content that is fully delivering your message. If it is a conversion page and you are actually getting conversions, your message is working.
Refine Your Method
There are many marketing methods – like inbound marketing, link building, and social media, which are “free”. And paid ads like pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns and boosted posts. How do you know if these are working?
Your website traffic data tells you where your users are coming from, whether they are referred through social media, found you through Google, and how they discovered your website and your content. What this means is that, if you are putting a lot of effort into one method of marketing or another. And it is not yielding the kind traffic you need, then it’s time to change it up. On the flip side, you can see where traffic is coming from and identify areas where more efforts might pay off in a bigger way.
Redefine Your Targets
When you first started your website, you probably had a target market in mind or a persona you figured out was your ideal customer or reader. Well, if the people visiting your site do not match that persona, then something is going on. This may mean that you were wrong about your target audience.
As a result, if you change targets and aim for those who are visiting your site. And those who are interacting with you on social media, you may actually get more organic traffic, more conversions, and more sales. However, this may not always be the case. And there may be something else going on.
Revise Your Message
Maybe you have inadvertently stumbled on an audience of new targets and that’s great, but your original target audience will still be the ideal target. This means instead of adjusting your aim, you need to revise your message instead. This does not mean you will abandon the audience you have accidentally uncovered. But that you will go back to targeting your ideal customer.
This might be difficult to manage, and it will take some work to determine the balance between your message and your audience. And to figure out how they interact. Don’t be afraid to experiment with some new content and try to target both audiences if you can.
Sell Advertising Space
Getting a lot of web traffic? Have a significant amount of viewership? There are brands who would like to get in front of those readers in a number of ways. One way to make some money with your website is by selling advertising space. You can do this in several ways.
A good use of your web traffic data is to prove to these advertisers that their message will reach a wide and diverse audience.
Calculate ROI
Are you reaching your targets? Was that paid ad campaign worth it? The answer lies in your website traffic data, and how many visitors came from a particular source. How many viewers took the action you asked for on the landing page? This is how you calculate your ROI. This allows you to put more effort into the activities that pay off the most. Drop the ones which are ineffective.
Your website traffic data can be very useful. But if you don’t make the best of it, it can simply be more numbers for you to look at. Use these seven methods to get started on making the data you are already gathering much more valuable.
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Software vendors that want to grow to need more revenue, and profitable revenue at that. With many enterprises already driven by software applications, app vendors can look for more income by providing extensions of their software to add value that customers appreciate. Embedded analytics and embedded business intelligence (embedded BI) can be great ways of enhancing application functionality and value, easily, effectively, and quickly.
Bringing Applications and Analytics Together
The opportunities for bringing in analytics are wide-ranging. They apply to horizontal software applications, like customer relationship management and enterprise resource planning. They also work for applications for verticals, like retailer stock control, real estate rental, and even monitoring and controlling entire production lines and power grids. This is because besides getting their business done with these apps, customers also want to know more. They want to know how efficiently they are working, where they could be leveraging resources for greater effect, or what they should be preparing for down the line.
Analytics add value by enabling customers to answer these questions and optimize their use of their software. Analytics can pinpoint trends, predict demand and sales, and reveal correlations of interest between different factors. The next question is, how should the apps and the analytics come together? Many businesses get stuck at this point, because they see only the hassle of buying a separate system for the analytics. Yet there is a much simpler solution for both customers and app vendors – Embed the analytics directly in the software application.
Added Value from Embedded BI and Analytics
Correctly embedded analytics and BI make it a snap for busy end users to get actionable insights from their apps and the data that those apps use. As the users use the system, all they need to do to get immediate business intelligence via the embedded BI is to mouse over to a menu item on the same screen. There, they click and access the BI and analytics of their choice. The customer’s IT department is happy too. Analytics and BI already embedded in a vendor’s product means the IT department is spared the time, effort, and risk of integrating a whole new IT system. For app vendors, as we’ll see below, there are then essentially three ways to multiply revenue streams.
Sell More of Existing Solutions to Your Existing Customers
Many software sales models are shifting from one-time licenses to monthly subscriptions. In the cloud, for example, customers can sign up rapidly to start using a SaaS solution. The problem is that they can just as rapidly cancel and go elsewhere. The challenge is to keep customer satisfaction high enough for them to be happy to keep paying the monthly fees.
Adding embedded analytics can help. It can give your customers new perspectives on the data collected by the app. Embedded BI can let users easily clean up, analyze, visualize, and act on that data. The increased customer satisfaction then boosts customer lifetime value (CLV), a crucial metric for you as an app vendor, as well as reducing churn. That means less need for the expense of marketing and advertising to attract new customers to replace the ones who left. And as the saying goes, a dollar saved is a dollar earned.
Sell New Products and Services to Existing Customers
You can also offer embedded analytics as a paying option. The added value perceived by your customers can amply justify a new line item on the monthly bill. Just think of the different advantages you bring them. They make more money by doing better business by improving their understanding of their own customers’ needs, preferences, and patterns in buying and consuming. They save money by avoiding the purchase of a totally new BI or analytics system or service. They save time by not having to constantly leave one application and fire up a second one, carting their data along with them as they go. In addition, a second app for the analytics could have a completely different interface, meaning extra training time and costs. On the other hand, the better you make the user experience for your embedded BI and analytics, the happier, more efficient, and more productive your customers will be. Frankly, when you look at it this way, you don’t just deserve extra income for what you offer your customers, you should get a medal!
Sell Products and Services to New Customers
‘Data is power’, say some. ‘Data is the new oil’, say others. Whatever your perspective, data and good use of that data is increasingly differentiating industry leaders from the also-rans. That means that tools like data analytics are becoming standard items in the functionality shopping list used by enterprises when they look for new software solutions.
Embedding analytics and BI in your software application means prospective customers can already tick that box. Better still, if you offer the right self-service possibilities, customers can broaden their use of the embedded analytics to ask all sorts of questions about their data without needing technical support. Your software application will appeal to a wider cross-section of enterprises and organizations, because its embedded BI and analytics will have the flexibility to meet any ad hoc questions and challenges that customers throw at it.
Routes to Embedding
The only question left is how to do the embedding. There are two ways to go. One is in-house development. This requires extra resources and longer lead times/time to market, while increasing risk. The second is to use components from a vendor specialized in analytics and business intelligence. Look for technology for embedding that offers ease of use, the simplicity of integration, high performance and reliability, and solid support. Using components ready to embed today can accelerate all the additional revenue streams above.
Whichever way you choose to deploy embedded BI and embedded analytics in your app, now is the time to do it. Extra revenue and profit are there to be won, customer loyalty can increase significantly, and new business may be just around the corner.
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You may have noticed that the talks of AI or Artificial Intelligence have become more and more prevalent on the internet. The impression that people have with regards to it, is mixed with awe to fear.
However, can you trust AIs with your business? What can they offer to help? Does your website need to embrace them now? If not, then when?
The Entrance of AI in Businesses
The internet produces and stores billions and billions of data every day. The human brain can only take too much before it gives up with information overload.
The data that are produced every day is essential for business owners and marketers alike. Data collected from the internet will tell them how their business is faring. Are they making a profit or losing money? What do customers expect from their companies?
With AI, they can easily track and measure their progress in business based on the analysis that the AI has made from relevant internet data.
So Why Integrate Them Now?
Due to stereotypical movies and the fear of the unknown, many talks of AIs replacing people’s job and starting World War III circulate the internet.
It is understandable that most people have reservations about utilizing AI on their website. However, it is essential that you integrate them into your business.
And here are a few of the many reasons why you should embrace AI for your business sooner than later.
Improve User Engagement
Users matter. They are the people that can become potential customers in the future. By integrating AI into your website, you will be able to improve your user engagement and foster a relationship thus converting them into loyal customers.
AI can help you evaluate the data that was collected based on your website visitor browsing behavior and present the appropriate content for them. They can also provide you useful information to help you improve your methods such as what content your users are more interested in, UX design, and more.
Just like how JP Morgan Chase is utilizing AI for their business.
Cater to Customer Needs Anytime, Anywhere
The internet never sleeps. There will always be people online and your website is automatically a business that’s open 24/7 365 days a year. People are impatient and they wanted a response as soon as possible.
Thankfully, AI can provide a solution for that. Incorporating chatbots in your website enables customers to submit their queries and would be able to temporarily cater to customer needs such as inquiring about a product as well as checkouts.
Major companies such as Google and Amazon are investing a lot in AI to improve their services.
Your Competitors are Doing It
No ones to get bested by their competitors. With all the benefits that AI can provide, competitors who are utilizing one for their website will surely gain the upper hand.
If the competitor makes user and customer engagement much more comfortable for your customers, chances are more people will go to the competitor. Get that edge first and implement the use of AI to improve your services as well as your SEO to get ahead of the competition.
Embrace Change: AI is Part of That Change
Although there are still many skeptics and doubts that revolve around the use of AIs, no one can deny the fact that they make work and life more manageable. The internet is not the only one that keeps on changing and evolving.
People, and more importantly, the world are functioning dynamically. There is no such thing as no change.
We are already at this stage in life and generation due to change. So does your website need to embrace now? Yes. If not, then as soon as your able. If you want your business to grow and succeed, you have to embrace change. And AI is part of that change.
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If you’re looking for a new skill to learn. Or boost up your resume. Then learning to code would probably be the best way to go. It’s a useful skill to have, whether or not you’re looking for careers in professional fields of web design, gaming, big data, artificial intelligence, etc. By learning how to code in at least one programming language, you not only broaden the scope of your own opportunities. But you also improve certain functional aspects of yourself, which you didn’t think was likely. Studies have reported that learning how to code helps you hone your problem-solving techniques, improve cognitive thinking skills and teach you to think out of the box.
And because of the magic of the internet, it’s possible to learn to code from the comfort of your home. There is a number of websites which offer both paid and free online courses in coding. Top online learning websites like Khan Academy, Udemy, Udacity and Coursera offer some of the best content if you are a beginner. They teach you right from the ABCs, to more advanced techniques.
There are also a number of mobile apps who offer quick bite-sized lessons for coding. While some of the websites mentioned earlier do have mobile app versions, their courses do not focus solely on the art of coding. So here are a couple of cool apps dedicated to teaching beginners how to code. As well as help them practice and test out their own code.
1. Code Monk by Hacker Earth is a curated list of topics to help users improve their programming skills. They offer a series of weekly tutorials which cover concepts like the basics of programming, algorithms, implementation of the code, data structure, maths and more. You can choose to learn various programming languages like C, C++ and Java. And to test your understanding of what you have learned, there are regular coding contests and challenges for you to take part in. The app is not only cool for beginners but is also a great way for experienced coders to practice and brush up on their skills.
2. CodeHub is a minimalistic, modern and comprehensive app. It compromises of several courses, of 50 small lessons each, which takes you through the entire process of coding. An interesting feature of CodeHub is that it categorizes its lessons into 4 difficulty levels. You can select whichever level suits your preference and divide the lessons accordingly. If you already know the basics, you could easily skip the beginners’ levels and move on to higher levels. Currently, the app offers courses for Web, HTML 5 and CSS3, but plan on including more languages soon.
3. Encode is a free-for-download learning app powered by JavaScript. It was made by Upskew Pty. Ltd. and is available only to Android users. It’s the perfect place for beginners to get started with the basics of coding. And due to the app’s interactive coding challenges and short lessons, beginners can gradually learn how to write more complex codes, along with running and testing out their own. Currently, their teaching pathway supports lessons from programming languages like Java Script, Python, HTML and CSS.
4. Programming Hub offers lessons across the biggest range of programming languages. Put together with the help of experts from Google, the app has course material which covers more than 20 languages, and over 5000 programs and code snippets. The creators of the app emphasize on making the process of learning coding fun, interactive and personalized for the users.
5. SoloLearn is actually a series of apps, each of which aims to teach you a specific coding language. The collection of apps has been described to be dynamic, interactive, simple and easy to use. Another great app for beginners, SoloLearn helps you learn the concepts of programming and coding by making you follow a lesson plan. The lessons compromise of short texts and quizzes, and learners are individually scored. The app is completely free, and compatible with both iOS and Android, making it a super accessible app.
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Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin have proved to be the most secure virtual currency, but it has not been spared of its share of cyber-attacks. In January 2018, panic spread across Bitcoin investors when were unable to withdraw their cash following a cyber-attack which left their money stuck in the system. In July 2017, around $30 million worth Ethereum Currency was stolen by hackers through a cyber-attack launched on the three of the largest wallets. Bitstamp was recently in the news when 19,000 BTC were pilfered after the exchange’s virtual wallets were compromised.
Why is it happening repeatedly? Experts say that it is mostly because all bitcoin transactions are irreversible. Official authorities can undo the transactions only in the case of an error. It is interesting to note that both buying and selling parties are unknown to each other and despite numerous techniques, it is difficult to track stolen bitcoins.
Now, what are the best ways to protect one’s Cypto wallet? There is plenty of security measures available right now to add a significant layer of protection to one’s cryptocurrency funds, but According to Nikolos Faslow, a Security Engineer from Bestvpnrating, one of the wisest ways to protect electronic cash so far is hiding it with a private network, popularly known as VPN. Virtual private network possesses a lot of features that guarantee user’s virtual freedom.
Although it is a primitive basis of online security, some people still ignore the tips like “create complicated passwords”, “create different passwords for different wallets”, and “never keep your passwords written and stored in a place anyone can reach”, like a sticker on your PC. A VPN will not save your money from your own negligence. A VPN is a secure solution that allows users on the Internet to transfer data while maintaining the secrecy of a private network. VPNs conceal your IP address by taking on one provided by the VPN service provider, so your activities online are essentially untraceable.
Second, while using a VPN, you have access to restricted websites, because this is what a VPN does, blocking access either due to geographic policy, or because such websites are considered improper/unreliable by the government of the state. So, while VPN, on the one hand, protects you from being monitored, it may expose you to websites and users that may pose danger to your finance. So, even using a VPN, you should be a bit paranoid about clicking each and every link you might want to follow.
The main function of any VPN is making user invisible for anyone else in the network. Optionally, our computers, when online, are sending signals directly to chosen web address. When there is a VPN installed, the signal is first transmitted to a certain virtual server, which grants it with new dynamic IP (the one that actually belong to this server), and only after that it reaches that site we wanted to visit. Tracking all this way is impossible, so nobody can reach our private data, including online wallets.
Click here to get more information on how to set up a VPN.
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With the evolution of technology, data is present everywhere. Thanks to the internet, which has enabled inter-connectivity of millions of devices across the globe. There has been an unprecedented growth of data usage in the recent years which is likely to expand exponentially even further. Big Data is one such term which has taken the world by storm. Its growth has been incredible. This has aroused curiosity in the minds of many.
Big Data has superimposed traditional data processing applications with newer and refined datasets. Two of Big Data’s most trending technologies which are creating a furore among end users in the analytics world — Apache Spark and Hadoop. These two crucial frameworks which form a significant part of the Big Data family. Some people view these two technologies as major competitors in the Big Data space. Although it ain’t that easy to compare both since they are similar to each other in many aspects. Yet there are some areas in which Hadoop and Apache Spark don’t overlap. In this blog, we shall discover which framework has an edge over the other.
Apache Spark
Apache Spark is a Big Data framework which operates on distributed data collections. It furnishes in-memory computations for improved and quicker data processing over MapReduce. It is a cluster-computing framework which is designed for faster data computations. It includes a huge variety of workloads which may be used for iterative, interactive and batch data computing. Apache Spark uses a hybrid processing framework by combining the various workloads for data processing and interactive queries together.
Hadoop
Hadoop is an open-source Big Data framework with a distributed data infrastructure. The distributed data is stored across multiple nodes within a cluster of commodity servers. It is an inexpensive software which is a fundamental need to most Big Data projects as it allows to store vast datasets across various cluster platforms. Initially, it was used for searching web pages and data collection purposes, but gradually it got recognized as a means to store distributed datasets across multiple servers. Over time, Hadoop has become a de facto model in the Big Data space.
Now the question is— Apache Spark or Hadoop : What’s the difference? Who wins?
Data Processing and Storage
Apache Spark is a hybrid data processing tool which upscales batch processing through in-memory computation and data process optimization. It can process huge workloads by utilizing both streaming and batch methods which is popularly denoted as Lambda Architecture. It offers programmers with a programming interface for storing data items in Resilient Distributed Dataset (RDD). On the contrary, Hadoop creates new algorithms to expedite access for enormous batch data processing. Hadoop MapReduce, an indigenous batch processing appliance can store large datasets in its own persistent disk.
Easy of Operation
Spark is comparatively easier to operate than Hadoop. It uses various foolproof APIs like Python, Java, Scala etc. for simplifying data processing and streaming. Use of such interactive methods like REPL (Read-Eval-Print Loop) allows end users of Spark to obtain immediate feedback from programming commands. Whereas, Hadoop is pretty difficult to program as it uses Java for data absorption. Hadoop doesn’t have any interactive mode like Apache Spark. Although there are other frameworks like Hive and Pig which makes it convenient for the users to operate programs.
Real-Time Functionality
Apache Spark allows data processing on a real-time basis. For this reason, social media network like Facebook and Twitter rely on Spark’s ability to process live data streaming effectively. On the other hand, Hadoop MapReduce fails miserably in the real-time function. Reason being, we have always known Hadoop as a batch data processing tool which primarily focuses on storing voluminous data on-disk.
Cost Factor
From the cost perspective, Spark is a pricey deal as it consumes a majority of RAM space for in-memory data computation. Buying a RAM may prove pretty extravagant for an end user. Whereas Hadoop is disk-bound and distributes datasets over multiple systems and does not use RAM for storing datasets. It saves the cost of investing more money in buying expensive RAM and is far more reasonable and cost-effective than Spark.
Takeaway
Both Apache Spark and Hadoop are open-source projects of the Big Data ecosystem. To conclude, Spark has an upper hand over Hadoop in terms of certain interactive, batch, or streaming requirements. However, choosing between the two frameworks completely depends upon the needs and obligations of a business organization as both are compatible with each other.
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