If you are writing content for your website, it is always important to understand search engine optimisation. If you want Google to rank your page well, your content is very important; however, it is not just down to the words you use.

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The way the content is structured is also important when thinking about how search engines work. What do you need to think about when you are writing new content for your site?

Important considerations are:

– Keywords or keyword phrases.
– How competitive different terms are.
– Your competitors’ content and their word count.
– User intent – what do your visitors want?
– Any further opportunities for marketing.

Search Engine Watch highlights the importance of keywords, structure and images.

There are lots of companies that can help with your copy; for example, https://www.net9design.com/ is a website design company Gloucester. If you decide to write your own content, as a lot of small businesses do, the following basics of SEO are worth following to ensure you get the best out of your copy.

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How much to write

Google likes to see a word count of somewhere between 300 and 500. If you meet this, you have a better chance of it being preferred by Google. Anything less would not be so favourable.

Headings or titles

Headers on all pages are important, but make sure they are short and descriptive. The header would be within the H1. Numerous trends in SEO have come and gone; however, H1s remain constant and have never lost their significance.

Subheadings

When writing your content, try where possible to include subheadings. Think about how much easier it is to find what you are looking for if you are scanning a page of text and there are obvious subheadings. Aim to have in the region of 250-500 words under each subheading.

Use of images

Wherever you can, try to add images. It is important to include alt text, as this enables search engines to understand what the image is showing. It is important to ensure that the image has been named correctly.

Original content

Google does not like to see content that has been duplicated, so avoid copying anything from other sites. Doing so will not help your rankings at all.

Maybe you want to vet a job applicant before you hand over the keys to your business. Maybe you just want to make sure that there are no skeletons in the closet of your daughter’s new boyfriend. Whatever the reason for your interest in background checks, here are four tips for getting them done.

1. Check Multiple Databases

Some people are surprised to learn that there isn’t one big database for background checks. You’ll need to search multiple databases from multiple sources to get a truly well-rounded picture of your job applicant. A good rule of thumb is to start locally; look into county records and city registries before moving on to national information systems. You can also check out brands like Intelius to get more information. They can serve as NY White Pages to get you started with your research.

2. Do Your Homework

How many felony convictions were handed out in your state in the last year? If you hire a felon, what kind of legal restrictions will they face? Is there any kind of work that they won’t be allowed to do? Will you receive any special incentives for bringing them on board? Can they get their record sealed so that it won’t reflect badly on your company? These are all questions that you’ll want to ask before you officially put a felon on the payroll.

3. Perform Different Checks

Some employers only bother with a criminal background check to make sure that they aren’t hiring a fugitive. However, there are many other background checks that you can perform. You can look for someone’s employment history and credit history. You can check their driving record. You can check their references. It’s up to you to decide which background checks will help you understand a candidate’s suitability for the job, but make sure that you know all of your options.

4. Look for Specific Transgressions

This is especially important if your work involves sensitive material. If they have a history of cybercrimes, you don’t want to hire them to deal with your online customer accounts. If they’ve been charged with any kind of domestic abuse, they probably shouldn’t be working with children. Don’t be afraid to get specific with your background checks; you’ll want to know without a doubt if an applicant can be trusted with your work.

These are just a few things to keep in mind as you run or prepare for background checks. You’ll need to be thorough with your investigations if you want to be confident with your final results, so take your time. Do it right. Run background checks that give you a full picture of the person in question.

As online selling becomes more and more popular nowadays, it’s up to business owners to make sure they have the edge over their competition. We all know that the easiest way to do this is by slashing the prices on the products you’re selling – but what can you do to keep that advantage once you’ve applied the maximum discount on your products?

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Today even giants like Amazon are trying to cut down on shipping costs to help out small businesses. But how can you cut down your own costs in the meantime?

The Benefits of Reducing Delivery Costs

It used to be increasingly popular, particularly with overseas sites, to offer suspiciously cheap products on selling sites, only to ramp up the delivery costs to double or even triple the price. Many wouldn’t take the delivery cost into consideration when making their purchase and would have a nasty shock when they went to checkout. However, whilst it may make you a bit more money, it will ultimately give the customer reason not to trust you if your delivery costs are higher than your competition. With this in mind, we’ve compiled some ways you can cut down on delivery costs.

Compare and Negotiate

So many companies are happy to go with the first delivery option that pops up with a quick search, but if you scour the web, you’ll likely be able to find a decent rate, particularly if you can find a local courier.

For example, if you were searching for a same day courier service in Manchester, a quick search would bring up sites such as http://allaboutfreight.co.uk/same-day-courier-service/same-day-courier-manchester, which offers far more competitive rates than the national delivery services for that area. What’s more, with smaller online couriers you may be able to negotiate your rates further, thus securing a better deal.

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Don’t Stick with One

Just because you send one parcel with a courier, it doesn’t mean you’re bound into a contract solely with that delivery option. For larger packages, it could benefit you to search around and use alternative delivery methods. If you’re unsure, you can always use a shipping aggregator, which can choose a suitable delivery method to suit your needs.

Have you got any other tips on how to cut down on shipping costs? Be sure to let us know.

The Agile software development manifesto was devised in Utah in 2001. It is hard to think of a more disruptive (in a good way) change to working practices over the intervening 17 years. From start-ups to major players like Google and Amazon, in the private sector, almost everyone is using Agile.

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Agile works because it encourages everyone to contribute. By giving skilled people the opportunity, innovation happens. By contrast with its predecessor, waterfall development, better-quality software can be delivered which has a realistic chance of meeting the needs of the end-users.

What’s Different About the Public Sector?

One can see that Agile is eminently suitable for a start-up or a small company where job roles are flexible. Indeed, with an intake of graduates already schooled in Agile methods, it would be difficult to implement anything else.

For a mature software development company there would be challenges implementing Agile, but the management would be well aware of the need to evolve. How else would they be still in business?

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The public sector, however, has many different challenges. Governance, controls and, particularly, approvals processes are very different. Software for government departments has to be highly specified. Documents must be approved before development begins. It is easy to see why projects like Universal Credit struggled to deliver what the public needed.

Moving Forwards

The government is becoming aware of the issue. The Institute for Government identifies some suggestions: https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/news/in-the-press/how-public-sector-can-become-truly-agile

Training and Pilot

For public sector teams looking to implement Agile on a project, training is vital. Initially a workshop and training for managers will be necessary to understand and promote Agile working – also a short course for team members, who will need to adapt and learn to think Agile. Critically, a Scrum Master will need to run the project and will need very focussed training, such as Scrum Master Training Dublin from https://www.althris.com/courses/scrum-master/.

Management will need to identify a pilot project and build a cross-functional team. They should monitor the project closely, using Agile reporting, to support the team members and learn from their experiences.

The private sector has had 17 years to understand Agile. The practices and training have evolved to a highly professional level. The public sector is being asked to deliver more systems for less investment. Now is the time for them to embrace Agile.