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]]>And the good news is many of these are very cost effective – you may even have access to via Office 365, depending on the level of subscription you have.
While we are not computer technicians, we can help you get your software requirements for email and Microsoft Offices sorted.
Brisbane Hosting & Website Design is a partner of Microsoft, Google and Dropbox. This means that we purchase and manage your subscription renewals on your behalf. And in the rare instance you have any issues, you contact us rather than getting frustrated dealing with tech support of a global business. Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions – 07 3889 2977 or enquire online here.
If you’re not already on cloud email, now is the time to make the change!
The single biggest advantage is that all emails are stored in the cloud and synced across multiple devices, not on individual machines. If your team log on from home, all their emails will be instantly accessible meaning they can continue to be effective wherever they log on.
Did you know? Imap and Pop email accounts were created before smartphones and tablets. Meaning these “old-school” email accounts types, while often free with your domain, can be a headache when trying to access email from multiple devices. (Read: You’ll save time and money by being on cloud email like 365).
Brisbane Hosting is a Microsoft partner.
Regardless of which 365 subscription level you have, you can still access your emails via webmail (log on via an internet browser such as Chrome).
Webmail access is free with all subscriptions, including a basic Exchange only account. In fact, many of our team use webmail even while working in the office, let alone remotely.
If you require Microsoft Office software licenses (Outlook, Word, Excel, Powerpoint etc) for staff to be able to work from home, email us here.
Premium subscriptions have all software included, so you may not have to pay anything extra!
Premium Office 365 subscriptions also have an in-built chat functionality via Teams which can help clear your inbox. If you’ve looked into Slack or similar instant messaging platforms for your internal team – this could be a cost-effective solution!
Skype for Business has now integrated into Microsoft Teams. Choose from audio or video calls. You can easily run internal calls and video meetings 100% online – and even invite external users to join.
Some of the functionality that has caught our eye is the ability to share files and the screen sharing mode for presentations or training sessions.
We’re expecting this will only grow in popularity with more and more people around the world working remotely.
Cloud storage like Dropbox can make accessing work and client files a breeze. Brisbane Hosting is a Dropbox partner and can help set up your storage solution. Prices start from $18.50 per user, per month. Minimum 3 users. Billed yearly. (Monthly billing available but prices vary).
If you need help setting up any of this for your business, Brisbane Hosting & Website Design can help, call our team on 07 3889 2977 or enquire online here.

Brisbane Hosting & Website Hosting’s products and services include Website Hosting, Domain Names, DNS Services, Website Development, Website Design, Website Revamps, Website Maintenance, Lead Generation Packages and Blogging, Social Media Campaigns and more.
Contact Brisbane Hosting on (07) 3889 2977 or via email info@brisbanehosting.com.au for further information.
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]]>The post Website Developer Brisbane appeared first on Brisbane Hosting & Website Design.
]]>Speak to Brisbane Hosting and Website Design today. With 2 decades’ experience building and hosting hundreds of websites for local and Australia wide clients – we can help you!
If it’s time to refresh your website, or if you’ve been considering a move to the WordPress platform but not sure where to begin. We’ll help make the process as seamless as possible – get in touch or keep reading to find out what’s involved.
Here’s what Cameron, a North Brisbane electrician had to say about working with us:
“I’m an electrician and the Brisbane Hosting team recently launched my new website. Straight away I’ve seen an increase in new leads and have received really positive feedback from new clients who were impressed with the layout and how easy it was to navigate.
Not only did Brisbane Hosting manage the website development and hosting, but they also wrote all the copy. It was a really valuable exercise to sit down with the team and drill down into each of my services and points of difference so that my website accurately reflects how Armitage Electrical can help our customers. I would highly recommend these guys if you’re looking for a web developer Brisbane.” – Cameron A.
We know it’s challenging finding reliable suppliers, let alone IT professionals who speak your language.
We have hundreds of happy clients that we manage website hosting for each year, and have completed thousands of web build projects across every industry imaginable.
And the best part is, we’re transparent with our costs. Our web build or website re-skin packages are very affordable. We cut straight to the chase and only recommend what you need.
Your new website needs to do more than just look good – it needs to be functional and Google friendly if you expect to generate leads from it.
Our process:
If you’re looking for a WordPress developer Brisbane, contact the team at Brisbane Web Dev today. We’re experienced, local Wordpress developers and you can be confident that your new or updated website will be completed by our team on Brisbane’s northside, not off-shore.
To read more of our 5 star Google reviews, click here.
Request a quote and give your website the boost it needs to start bringing in revenue for your business. Contact Brisbane Hosting on 07 3889 2977 or enquire online here.
Brisbane Hosting & Website Hosting’s products and services include Website Hosting, Domain Names, DNS Services, Website Development, Website Design, Website Revamps, Website Maintenance, Lead Generation Packages and Blogging, Social Media Campaigns and more.
Contact Brisbane Hosting on (07) 3889 2977 or via email info@brisbanehosting.com.au for further information.
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]]>The post Google+ Accounts Closing in April 2019 appeared first on Brisbane Hosting & Website Design.
]]>In December 2018 Google announced the decision to shut down the Google+ platform due to low usage from members. This means that from the April 2, 2019 all content and accounts will be deleted.
But what does this mean for you?
Most people won’t be too affected by this shut down, however if you or your business have used G+ you could lose:
Any content you want to save, such as photos and videos, you will need to download and save (click here for instructions).
If you’ve used Google+ for comments on your website, this feature will be removed. However, if you are a community owner or moderator you will be able to download additional data, for all posts, including the author, body and photos posted.
Signing in to accounts might be different – if you’ve using the Google+ sign in button you will no longer be able to use this. It will instead be replaced by a google account sign in button.
Google+ for G Suite accounts will remain active. Google are also planning updates for this feature for all G Suite Customers.
If you have been using Google+, here’s the timeline of key dates ahead of the closure:
Brisbane Hosting & Website Hosting’s products and services include Website Hosting, Domain Names, DNS Services, Website Development, Website Design, Website Revamps, Website Maintenance, Lead Generation Packages and Blogging, Social Media Campaigns and more.
Contact Brisbane Hosting on (07) 3889 2977 or via email info@brisbanehosting.com.au for further information.
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]]>The post 5 ‘Ignore at Your Peril’ Reasons You Need to Run Regular Updates on Your Website appeared first on Brisbane Hosting & Website Design.
]]>This includes using the latest version of WordPress, and regularly deploying theme and plugin updates.
Not sure how to do this on your own? We can help! Find out more about our Client Care Plan below and we’ll take care of it. It’s a small outlay for peace of mind and to keep your website secure and functioning at its optimal! Call us on 07 3889 2977 or enquire here.
Here’s why you need to run regular updates on your website – and keep your theme and plugins up to date!
It might sound obvious, but it’s sheer madness to see the volume of business owners who don’t bother to switch to the latest version of WordPress.
Especially given it’s free and takes less than 2 minutes.
WordPress powers almost one quarter (23%) of the world’s websites. And thanks to its popularity, it is often the target of hackers, data thieves and malicious code distributors.
Sounds scary, but the good news is that ensuring your website is using the latest version of WordPress means you’ll significantly reduce the risk of getting hacked.
With each new release, developers fix bugs and known security vulnerabilities.
Hackers can even search for websites running outdated versions of WordPress. So, no matter the size of your business – simply running an old version of WordPress can mean you’re at greater risk of a sophisticated attack.
And we’ve seen it happen time and time again – even on websites for small Aussie businesses.
It’s not just the major WordPress updates you should be keeping on top of. Despite rigorous testing in the lead up to a major update, it’s not uncommon for a few bugs to slip through the cracks for a short period of time.
This means minor releases (which are shown by X.X.X) are equally important and shouldn’t be ignored. To give you an example, WordPress update 4.2.3 fixed 20 bugs from the 4.2 major release.
The key takeaway – always ensure you’re run both major and minor WordPress updates once they become available.
But it’s not all doom and gloom, running your WordPress, theme and plugin updates also have some positive perks…
Using the latest version of WordPress means you’ll be able to leverage the latest and greatest features and software changes – designed to make updating your website even easier.
And if you do hit a roadblock, because you’re using the latest version you won’t have any issues finding WordPress help online. Steps for troubleshooting is typically based on the latest version
WordPress developers are always pushing the limits to make things faster. Each new release will have several performance updates to improve efficiency and speed.
And given speed is a crucial factor in SEO, updating to the latest WordPress theme is a no brainer.
While we’ve mostly addressed WordPress themes updates above, it’s just as important to use the latest theme and plugin versions – and for many of the same reasons. To protect against security vulnerabilities and eliminate any bugs in the software.
This will ensure that all the software – and your website – keeps functioning smoothly.
It’s not uncommon for issues to arise when your plugins are out of date, but you’ve got the latest version of WordPress – due to an incompatibility.
True to form, WordPress has made it easy to see and install a new WP, theme or plugin update.
Simply login to you Dashboard and look for the in-built “UPDATES” notification field. If new updates are available, you’ll see a round orange circle displaying the number of updates available.
Not comfortable navigating the back end of your website (your WordPress Dashboard) – we can help!
While some business owners may find it easy to run their WordPress, theme or plugin updates – others may not have the time, energy or confidence to do it on a regular basis.
Our Client Care Package not only ensures your website updates are up to date, we also take a full site back up and check for irregular hacker files, that will save you a lot of headaches (and money) should the unforeseeable happen.
To sign up for our Client Care Package, recommended on a quarterly basis at minimum, but can also be monthly – email us here.
Brisbane Hosting & Website Hosting’s products and services include Website Hosting, Domain Names, DNS Services, Website Development, Website Design, Website Revamps, Website Maintenance, Lead Generation Packages and Blogging, Social Media Campaigns and more.
Contact Brisbane Hosting on (07) 3889 2977 or via email info@brisbanehosting.com.au for further information.
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]]>The post Small Business Website Checklist – 5 Things Your Website Needs in 2019 appeared first on Brisbane Hosting & Website Design.
]]>You’ll find some new software features such as a Facebook Chat, others you may already be familiar with but perhaps didn’t implement in 2018.
Need help with any of the below? Contact our friendly team of web developers and marketing experts who can help get your website and digital presence optimised. Call us on 07 3899 2977 or email us here.
We cannot stress enough how crucial this is.
A SSL Certificate encrypts data that passes between a user’s internet browser and your website server. It’s recommended for all websites, not just e-commerce sites as it helps protect personal data you collect on your website, including contact forms.
Why do you need one? Google set a deadline of 1 July 2018 and since October 2018, any website that doesn’t have an SSL has been prominently displayed as ‘Not Secure’ by Google. Some browsers won’t even loads websites without SSLs, forcing the user to confirm they want to proceed to an ‘unsecure site’ which is a big deterrent for potential customers.
Google also indicated that not having an SSL Certificate would impact your organic rankings. Find out more here.
Haven’t got an SSL Certificate? You need one asap. Email us here.
With more and more customers searching via mobile devices rather than desktop, if you expect your website to convert leads – it needs to be mobile friendly with a responsive theme that’s easy to navigate no matter what device it is accessed from.
Why is this important?
Consumers now spend more than five hours a dayon their smartphones.
Source: Mobile Marketing Statistics, bluecorona.com
69% of smartphone users also say that they are more likely to buy from companies with mobile sites that easily address their questions or concerns.
(BrightEdge, 2017). Source: Mobile Marketing Statistics, bluecorona.com
Want to improve your organic Google rankings? You need to be blogging regularly.
To get the best ROI on your blogging efforts your posts does need to tick a few boxes such as optimal length and optimised set up. This will give you the best change of ranking well for your desired keyword or phrase.
Not sure what to blog about? We always recommend starting with client case studies – a great way to showcase positive reviews and demonstrate your expertise and work!
We also offer flexible lead generation packages where we can do the keyword research for you, plan your blog topics and even write the copy for your blogs! Email us here to find out more.
Why blog?
Organic SEO is about 5.66 times better than paid search ads.
(New Media Campaigns, 2018) Source: Marketing Statistics, Hubspot
70-80% of search engine users are only focusing on the organic results.
(MarTech, 2018) Source: Marketing Statistics, Hubspot
Make it easy for your customers to connect with you.
A common challenge we’re hearing from clients is that customers are becoming increasingly impatient and don’t want to wait 24 hours to receive a response from an online or email enquiry they’ve submitted.
Depending on your target audience, enabling FB Chat on your website homepage may be a great solution to make it super easy for potential clients to contact you.
It means that you’ll also get an immediate notification about the enquiry through Facebook messenger on your mobile devices.
You can also set up auto-responders which manage the potential customers’ expectations about how quickly you will respond.
Are you proactively reaching out to customers to ask for 5-star Google Reviews? You should be.
Having positive reviews not only helps with lead generation (helping drive word of mouth online), but it can help reduce the impact of getting a negative review.
People tend to publish a review when they have something to complain about – so get on the front foot and establish a good rating to begin with.
This will mean, that if you do happen to get a less than favourable review, it will have less impact on your rankings or positioning in the Map results in a Google search.
Why are reviews important?
93% of local consumers use reviews to determine if a local business is good or bad.
(BrightLocal, 2017). Source: Customer Review Statistics
72% of customers don’t take action until they have read reviews
(Testimonial Engine) Source: Customer Review Statistics
Brisbane Hosting & Website Hosting’s products and services include Website Hosting, Domain Names, DNS Services, Website Development, Website Design, Website Revamps, Website Maintenance, Lead Generation Packages and Blogging, Social Media Campaigns and more.
Contact Brisbane Hosting on (07) 3889 2977 or via email info@brisbanehosting.com.au for further information.
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]]>The post Why do I need a SSL Certificate? appeared first on Brisbane Hosting & Website Design.
]]>In short, SSL Certificates are now required by google, or you risk having your organic SEO rankings drop.
What’s more SSL Certificates protect (or encrypt) the data that passes between a user’s internet browser and your website server. They are not only essential for e-commerce sites but strongly recommended for all websites.
Brisbane Hosting & Website Design is encouraging all of our clients to get an SSL Certificate installed on their website as a priority. Request a SSL Certificate and installation today.
Simply put, SSL Certificates are small data files that digitally link or authenticate your organisation’s details. Once installed, it enables secure connections from a web server to a browser. Think of it like a padlock being applied to encrypt and protect data exchanges.
Once a SSL Certificate has been installed, visitors to your website will see the URL showing HTTPS, the secure version of HTTP.
A SSL Certificate is connected to your web hosting, but it is an additional charge and requires specific steps to install correctly. See below for two different SSL package options currently available through Brisbane Hosting & Website Design.
Here are three reasons why you need a SSL Certificate urgently:
According to Sitesell.com over time you can expect your clients and potential customers to become conditioned to only interact with those websites that have a SSL Certificate.
Don’t fall into the trap of opting for a free SSL certificates as these are not acknowledged by all browsers and are usually only temporary. Even if you can get a Free SSL Certificate, you still need to pay for installation so be wary.
Speak to us today about getting a reliable SSL Certificate installed. A small outlay now will ensure your website continues to perform well and attract new customers because it’s secure.
Brisbane Hosting and Website Design offers two different SSL Certificate options:
Both packages include installation. Need to get a SSL Certificate installed? Contact us today via email or call 07 3889 2977.
Brisbane Hosting & Website Hosting’s products and services include Website Hosting, Domain Names, DNS Services, Website Development, Website Design, Website Revamps, Website Maintenance, Social Media Campaigns and more.
Contact Brisbane Hosting on (07) 3889 2977 or via email info@brisbanehosting.com.au for further information.
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]]>The post Australia’s NBN rollout a global embarrassment appeared first on Brisbane Hosting & Website Design.
]]>According to this story on TechGuide, not only does Australia rank well behind the US, Western Europe, Japan and Korea but we also “embarrassingly” fall below countries such as Thailand and Kenya, ranking number 51 on the Akamai ranking of internet speeds. And perhaps most disparagingly, this is despite a $50 billion investment over the last 8 years.
So why have we become the laughing stock of the world – and as the TechGuide writer so aptly put it, a ‘technology backwater’ despite boasting a rich resources market and enviable lifestyle?
What should have been a consistent roll-out of the latest and greatest technology has been chopped and changed more times than one can recall.
The original plans for Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) have been replaced with a mish mash of Fibre to the Node (FTTN) or Fibre to the Curb (FTTC) coupled with existing copper wire infrastructure – and in some areas, now reportedly wireless connections via dedicated NBN towers.
One Australian NBN provider, Telstra has even been forced to start offering existing NBN customers their money back due to unacceptably slow speeds as reported below on Channel 10’s The Project.
So what impact will these continued NBN issues have on small businesses trying to effectively operate in the digital age, and will Australians ultimately get the high speed internet speeds originally promised? Only time will tell.
Click here to read the full story TechGuide or New York Times article here.
Brisbane Hosting & Website Hosting’s products and services include Website Hosting, Domain Names, DNS Services, Website Development, Website Design, Website Revamps, Website Maintenance, Social Media Campaigns and more.
Contact Brisbane Hosting on (07) 3889 2977 or via email info@brisbanehosting.com.au for further information.
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]]>The post Aussies clueless that NBN will be compulsory appeared first on Brisbane Hosting & Website Design.
]]>According to a new survey from Finder.com.au and a story published on msn.com here, more than one in three Australians (37%) have no plans to switch to the NBN or don’t know what it is.
What is most surprising about the research is that so many people mistakenly believe the NBN is optional, and haven’t twigged to the fact that their existing telephone and internet will be cut off if they don’t make the transition.
In short, the NBN will be the new universal communications infrastructure network, completely replacing the existing copper network that landline telephones and many home broadband connections rely on.
And this changeover is not that far away with the Government imposing a deadline of 2020 for all 11.9 million Australian premises to switch over to the NBN network.
So how come 6 million Aussies could be left in the dark, disconnected?
Of the 2004 Australians surveyed, 17% said they would not make the switch, while 18% didn’t know what they would do or didn’t understand what the NBN was about.
Even a small percentage of those who did plan to move across to National Broadband Network aren’t in a hurry – claiming they would take 18 to 24 months to make the transition. Little do they realise that their phone and internet would be cut off during this time with telecommunication companies obliged to deactivate existing copper within 18 months of NBN arriving in their area.
Click here to read the full article.
Brisbane Hosting & Website Hosting’s products and services include Website Hosting, Domain Names, DNS Services, Website Development, Website Design, Website Revamps, Website Maintenance, Social Media Campaigns and more.
Contact Brisbane Hosting on (07) 3889 2977 or via email info@brisbanehosting.com.au for further information.
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]]>The post Top 5 tips for building your email database appeared first on Brisbane Hosting & Website Design.
]]>Here are Brisbane Hosting’s sure fire tips for growing your email audience while still staying on the right side of the law.
Ready to ramp up your e-newsletter marketing efforts? Don’t forget to abide by the Australian SPAM Act – you can read our refresher on the rules and regulations here.
Brisbane Hosting can also help with getting your email database set up, connected to your website and also assist with the template development, copywriting and distribution of your e-newsletters should you require. Call us today.
Brisbane Hosting & Website Hosting’s products and services include Website Hosting, Domain Names, DNS Services, Website Development, Website Design, Website Revamps, Website Maintenance, Social Media Campaigns and more.
Contact Brisbane Hosting on (07) 3889 2977 or via email info@brisbanehosting.com.au for further information.
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]]>The post Four benefits of investing in Google AdWords appeared first on Brisbane Hosting & Website Design.
]]>So what are the benefits of investing in AdWords?
Here are four reasons Brisbane Hosting & Website Design recommends investing in paid online activity:
1) It’s highly targeted, so fewer wasted dollars – Gone are the days of buying a print, radio or TV advertisement and hoping someone who is interested in your product or service might happen to read or listen to your ad, and then make an enquiry.
Using Google AdWords, you get to choose the type of people you wish to target by geographic location or even specific key words (the common words and phrases people are typing into google). This means that you’ve got a much higher chance of converting sales because you’re targeting people already searching for that very product, rather than a broad scatter gun approach – and they’re only one click away from finding out more about your business.
2) It’s trackable and flexible – you can see how much traction you’re getting from your paid activity in real-time. And when linked to Google Analytics, you can evaluate if your paid online advertising is drawing higher numbers of potential leads to your site. Being purely online also means you can optimise and tweak your campaigns once you’ve reviewed how they’re performing.
3) Quicker results than organic SEO. Yes, paid activity tends to get you better ‘visibility’ to potential customers much quickly (Google prioritises paid ads at the top of google searches), however, organic SEO should not be dismissed entirely.
Organic SEO is considered a ‘slow burn’ for building your website’s authority and credibility over time as google bots continue to review and rank your site content periodically. Consistently adding unique and relevant content to your site will help ensure that your site always ranks well.
Paid activity can get put you at the top of the list quicker (NB. it will show up as an ‘ad’ to users), but remember without sustained paid activity you will drop off from the search results just as quick.
4) It’s cost effective. AdWords campaigns can be set up from as little as $10/day. How far this stretches depends on the competition for your desired keywords.
Want to know how Google AdWords can help elevate your business? Call us today to talk through your options and tailored campaign ideas.
Brisbane Hosting & Website Hosting’s products and services include Website Hosting, Domain Names, DNS Services, Website Development, Website Design, Website Revamps, Website Maintenance, Social Media Campaigns and more.
Contact Brisbane Hosting on (07) 3889 2977 or via email info@brisbanehosting.com.au for further information and quote today.
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