Client Area

We recently announced the launch of our new Client Area and Site Tools. Our COO spoke about it from a business perspective and how important this project is for our future growth. I would like to give you the technical perspective and why we see these new interfaces to be also a technical milestone for SiteGround.

SiteGround has always been first and foremost a service company. However, for many years, our business growth has been tightly correlated with our technical evolution. The more software we developed in-house, the more the quality of our service was rising and the more our reputation was growing. Not only that, but we have grown the self-confidence of a high-tech company that produces powerful and smart software solutions and is always among the first to implement the most innovative technologies.

So, when we realized that many of our business ideas were slowed down or made impossible by the limitations of our currently-used underlying platform, we had the courage to think bigger than

Powering good, one website at a time

Our customers use SiteGround to host a wide variety of projects, but some of our favorites are non-profit websites that use the internet to make the world a better place. That’s why we’re proud to support events like do_actions, annual hackathons held in cities around the world where participants from the WordPress community come together to build websites for local organiзations. On May 25, it’s Caceres’ turn to hold their do_action and we’re pleased to attend and sponsor. 

Better websites for non-profits around the world

In Montreal, Canada, Rotterdam, the Netherlands and now, Caceres, Spain, SiteGround offers free hosting to the nonprofits getting website redesigns during the do_action event. Non-profits often don’t have the resources to afford a whole team to run their online properties. Getting a website redesign helps them start off on the right foot and using the fast, secure, and helpful hosting from SiteGround means they’re getting amazing performance and peace of mind so they can focus on the good work they do. 

Time-saving Tips for Managing an Online Business

When it comes to running a business online, you have a lot more to think about than just your website. Sure, you have to be concerned with ongoing maintenance, including proactive protection like daily backups and site security. But you also have to keep up with client orders and support, invoicing contractors, and keeping paperwork up to date. Your website may be the hub for your business, but there’s more that needs to be done besides keeping it updated. This takes time, and can quickly become overwhelming. We’re going to briefly cover a few things that you can try to save some time while managing your online business. 

Batch Tasks for Efficiency

Hopefully, your business has some repeatable processes that are ready to batch. This could be choosing to check email twice per day instead of leaving your inbox open. It could be writing a series of social media posts and scheduling them to send later. Or maybe you have to take lots of calls, but you’re able to schedule them out. 

Identify the tasks that you do repeatedly in your business that aren’t so time sensitive that they can’t wait a few hours.

Email is definitely one of those, no matter how much protestation the average person will say about how “always on” they’re expected to be at work. If it’s your own company, you have no excuse not to set a standard that emails are not an emergency. If you work for someone else, suggest that your output for the business will improve with more uninterrupted focus time, then prove it. 

How to Leverage Your Network to Gain More Website Traffic

Did you know you can increase your online traffic by tapping into your offline network? In-person relationship building can have a tremendous impact on your ability to reach people online. Even introverts can find a way to connect with a community and increase visibility and number of visits to their site. Here are four tried and true methods, from easiest to hardest:

1. Participation

There is a lot of power in just showing up. Get out of the office and rub shoulders with other people that do what you do. This is a great place to start if you don’t have much of a network. Find out where your people congregate. Meetup.com is a great place to start. WordPress meetups are also a great source of new friends, mentors, and strategic partners.

What if you aren’t a networking superstar? You can distinguish yourself with your helpfulness. The meeting organizer always notices the person that shows up early and stays late to help set up and break down. Guess who knows everyone and can make high-impact introductions? That same organizer.

2. Volunteering

Most community organizations have plenty of volunteer opportunities. My website traffic (and subsequently, my rankings) steadily increased once I started volunteering in the WordPress community. I worked my first WordCamp Atlanta in 2015. When I became an organizer in 2016, I also got a link back from the site. People who didn’t get my card that weekend, but wanted to follow up, looked me up on the campsite and followed the link. The traffic I received from the event was small but very targeted. I picked up new clients and developed some fantastic strategic partners.

3. Membership

Are there membership opportunities in your community? I bet there is. Some may be free and some may require payment. But, both will probably have a member’s directory of some sort where you display your contact information, including a link to your site. In addition to the link I have from the camps I’ve volunteered at, I also have a link from a (paid) membership at a local coworking space.