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The Best Website Builders (In-Depth Review)

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Finding the right website builder is like choosing a life partner or career, only more important.

Whether you are setting up a small non-profit or are itching to take over the world with your handmade jewelry, the quality of your site will be a key factor in your success.

With a good website builder, someone with no technical experience can spin up an amazing site in no time.

Knowing what’s good is the first step, but the top options on the market have different strong points. The next step is figuring out which of the best website builders is the right fit for your needs.

I’ve been building websites for years. Let me walk you through the different types of website builders and how to choose between them.

After that, you can use my in-depth reviews of the top four options to make an informed decision.

The Top 4 Best Website Builders

1. Wix — Best for general use
2. Weebly  — Best for beginners
3. Shopify — Best for ecommerce
4. WordPress — Best for content management

The Different Types of Website Builders

Why are you starting a website?

There are a multitude of reasons to want to start a website and they will affect the services and features you will need. 

For instance, is your goal to set up shop as an ecommerce entrepreneur, dropshipping items from abroad? 

Do you want to start a simple blog documenting your travel adventures?

Think deeply about what you want now, but also your roadmap for the future. Once you commit to a particular website builder, it can be difficult to change later on. 

After getting a clear idea of your needs, you will then need to consider the different types of web builders available. 

Keep in mind that many website builders fit multiple categories, serving each need to a different extent. 

General-purpose website builders

There are thousands of reasons to create a website, and nowadays, it seems like every person and organization has one. 

To service such great demand, some website builders have taken a holistic approach in terms of appeal and their tools.

For example, these sites typically have a lot of features that other types of website builders have, such as the ability to blog.

However, as they are multi-purpose in nature, you cannot expect these features to not be as in-depth and robust as more specialist platforms. 

Some use cases for general website builders include:

• Information websites – If your goal is to simply host information online, these general website builders can be quite useful. For instance, you may have a kitchen renovation company and want to start reaching potential customers online. 
• Personal branding – Managing your personal brand is becoming more important every day. It is particularly important for independent workers and entrepreneurs as well as for employees applying for jobs.

Here’s a good example of how an organization can use their website to push their brand identity.

General-purpose website builders are great for creating and maintaining an online presence. Keep all your readers, followers, and customers up-to-date.

Content management platforms 

Content is what drives the web, and one of the oldest yet still most relevant forms of content is the blog post. 

Considering blogging is such a crucial part of the web, some website builders have been designed with a content management system in mind.

In the case that you want to get your thoughts out there; ideally, in a serious and sustained way, a blog website builder may be the right option for you. Use cases include:

• Professional writing – This goes without saying, but if you want to be a writer, you actually have to write. Typically, you need a place where you can showcase your talent. Whether you are a business writer or journalist, maintaining a personal blog is important.
• Thought leadership – In many industries, it is useful for people of prominence to share their unique insights on a public platform. Setting up a blog with a strong content management system helps to get ideas out in a sustained way. 

Here’s a not-entirely-random example of a content-centric website.

Essentially, blog website builders are a good choice if you plan on writing long term and it is one of the things you focus on. 

Ecommerce platforms 

Another type of website builder are ecommerce platforms.

As you might expect, these are perfectly designed to help people build and manage online stores through the ability to list goods, fulfill orders, and take payments. 

These website builders are useful for:

• Side hustles – Perhaps you are interested in selling some goods in addition to your day job and don’t have the time to dedicate to the operational side of things. These website builders are great to solve this problem, as they handle the backend of your business. 
• Digitizing your store – Maybe you already have a brick and mortar store and are looking to make your stock available online. In this situation, this type of website builder will take all the technical complications out of setting up online.

An example of an ecommerce website.

How to Choose The Best Website Builder For You 

Now it is time to take a closer look at some of the specific features to consider when evaluating a website builder.

Remember that although some website builders may fall into the same category, each may suit your needs differently.

For instance, you may be setting up an online shop and your primary consideration may be a low learning curve, whereas somebody else may be thinking about a platform that can allow them to scale easily. 

Here are some features you should consider.

Ease of use 

Things to consider:

• Intuitiveness – Some website builders are easy to use and have simple interfaces with drag and drop functionality. This is useful as you won’t have to Google changes you want to make with the tool.
• Learning curve – If you are not great with technology, it is unlikely you will want to spend hours learning how to set up a website. Some website builders are much easier than others.
• Setup time – Similarly, you may want to get your site up and running immediately, particularly if it is an event you want to promote. 
• Ongoing management – Needing external help to manage your site defeats the purpose of a website builder. It must be easy to manage in terms of updates. 

If you are new to setting up online or are time-constrained, how easy it is to get started will likely be your primary concern. 

Scalability 

Things to consider:

• Custom code – Website builders use standardized code, which are the building blocks of a website. These allow you to easily create a site with various features. In some cases, however, you may need your own custom features and the ability to write your own code.
• Migration – At some point, you may want to host your website yourself. However, not all website builders allow you to easily make this move. In some cases, you may have to redevelop your site from scratch.
• Integrations – You will probably create new goals as your website grows, such as running ads or embedding social feeds. Some website builders are more compatible with other platforms and are easier to integrate.

You should think strongly about scalability if you are already an established business looking to create an online presence. This is particularly true if you are already selling products at scale in the real world. 

Startups in the fundraising process and are looking to scale fast or even change core features of their product should also take caution here. 

Support 

Things to consider: 

• Support channels – You will need to consider the different ways you can get in touch with support teams such as live chat, email, and phone. In-depth FAQ’s (frequently asked questions) are also important.
• Responsiveness – If your site breaks at 5 PM eastern time, but their support only works European hours, then you are in trouble. Some teams may also respond much quicker than others. 
• Engagement – Unfortunately, some support teams are useless. Maybe they are being paid very little so they do not care, or they are overworked. Either way, you need support that can actually solve your problems.

If you plan on running a site with a lot of visitors and it happens to go down, the last thing you want is an unresponsive support team. This is especially true if you plan on driving a lot of traffic at a given time.

A website builder with a strong support team is also useful if you are just getting started online, considering you may still get stuck, even with simple interfaces. 

Price 

Things to consider: 

• Cost – Some website builders can be more costly, with some reaching upwards of $299 a month (for landing pages, for instance). Others are permanently free with the option to upgrade for a small monthly fee. 
• Trial – Before you commit, it can be useful to take advantage of a trial offer to play around with the tools. You will likely find that some are a better fit than others.
• Hosting & domain – Most website builders will host your website on the web, which is typically included in the price. Some may also offer a domain as part of the package. Otherwise, you would have to purchase these yourself. 

If you plan on making money from your website, either by selling products directly or to capture leads, then price should not be a key consideration for you. Make an investment in the best service for your needs. 

However, if you just want to set up a small information site, then you could do with the cheapest options. 

Generally, website builders that have feature depth are typically more expensive as they solve more specific problems. 

Features 

Things to consider: 

• Ecommerce shop – If you plan to sell things online, you need a website builder that allows you to do so. Consider sub-features such as payment processing and product catalogs.
• SEO – Some website builders have tools that allow you to rank better in Google searches.
• Marketing tools – You may also need other marketing tools, such as forms, pop-ups, and chat boxes.  
• Community – In some cases, you may want to expand your website into a community where people can communicate and network (otherwise known as a forum).
• Analytic tools – Website builders may also offer analytic tools that help track traffic on your website or at least integrate with other tools that do.
• Niche features – Perhaps there are some special features you are looking for such as the ability to set up a crowdfunding campaign in addition to having a standard website.

The features of a website builder are the main thing to consider when deciding which route to follow. This is because they will have the most impact on your specific goals.

For instance, if you want to set up a landing page for a specific product, trying to optimize with a generic site builder will be a pain. It will probably lack the in-depth analytic tools that a dedicated landing page builder would have. 

Also keep in mind that there are some features that you may not need now, but you could need in the future, such as if you plan on running paid ads to your blog posts. 

Design 

Things to consider: 

• Themes and templates – Website builders allow you to start with a predesigned website that is customizable to various extents. Some themes serve different purposes in terms of branding and utility. 
• Mobile-friendliness – You will need to ensure that your website builder automatically makes your website easy for mobile users, typically with responsive design.
• Customization – It is likely you will want to make some changes to your template. You will need to consider the various customization tools available. 

Regardless of your goal, you should always be concerned with providing a great user experience to the people who are visiting your site. It simply makes logical sense – if your site is hard to navigate, people won’t get the most out of it.

The actual design and branding are important too. For instance, some designs are more corporate while others are more welcoming. There may be a design template that really suits your particular brand.

And if you are selling something, you need to ensure that the design is optimized to increase conversions.

Now that you have a good understanding of the types of website builders and the features to look out for, it is time to take a look at some of the best website builders on the market. 

#1 – Wix — Best for General Use 

If there is one website builder that you have likely heard of, it is probably Wix. The effort that Wix puts into their marketing is phenomenal. Wix is so successful, in fact, that they have featured high profile celebrities like Jason Stratham in some of their campaigns. 

Not only that, but Wix has results to show for it too, with over 160 million websites hosted by the company. 

Wix is the best website builder if you don’t have a specific need in mind. Even in the opposite case, this is true, such as if you have broad needs and are aiming for different functionality. 

Wix is truly the “jack of all trades” in the sense that it does everything well, but nothing is truly exceptional. However, it serves its purpose for the average person looking to set up a website.

Pros of Wix 

Here are the best things about Wix:

• Powerful app market – Wix has an enormous amount of add on features that you can access through their app market. Want to book meetings directly on your site? They have got you covered. Want a live chat pop up box? Simply click and install it on your site.
• Covers every need – Wix covers most of the needs of people looking to set up a website. This includes setting up an ecommerce store, blog, or even just a simple information website.
• Lots of templates – Wix has a wide variety of templates that you can choose from to get your website up and running quickly. Their templates are well designed and take the user experience into consideration. 

Cons of Wix 

Here are the weaker parts about Wix:

• The user interface can be difficult – Although Wix is aimed at the mass market, the user interface can be quite tricky especially if you want to customize your site. You will often find yourself having to Google how to complete certain tasks. .
• No migration – A huge downside with Wix is that you’re locked in, so you cannot take the code of your website somewhere else later on. This can cause problems if you quickly need to scale your business. 
• Jack of all trades, master of none – Wix’s main strength is also its weakness. Although it has many features, it cannot compete with the quality of niche website builders.

Who should use Wix?

• Small businesses – If you are offering a service such as legal advice or marketing, Wix is a solid website builder that will handle all of your needs. If your focus is selling products online, avoid Wix. 
• Freelancers and professionals – In a similar manner, Wix is great for professionals who want to showcase their personal brand. It will allow you to cover all the potential bases of highlighting your portfolio, such as taking meetings and even blogging.

Try Wix for free today.

#2 – Weebly — Best for Beginners 

Next, we have Weebly, which is a drag and drop website builder that prides itself on its ease of use. Weebly currently powers over 50 million websites and has been around since 2006, which is a huge achievement and testament to how effective the platform is. 

So, what has caused Weebly to be consistently favored among users? It comes down to the simple user experience and short learning curve. Weebly does not bombard you with features or a complicated interface.

Instead, it does not scare you away and allows you to get straight to the point of setting up your website.

Pros of Weebly

Here are the best things about Weebly:

• Simple and easy to use – Weebly has a simple interface with drag and drop mechanics that just work. Everything feels natural and intuitive. It also helps that they have an onboarding mechanic with email and popup explanations when you get started.
• Migration – If you decide you want to host your own website, Weebly makes it easy for you to take your site off their platform. 
• Affordable – Compared to other generalist website builders, Weebly has one of the most affordable pricing structures. 
• Great customer support – Weebly has a powerful customer support team who are active every day of the week. They typically reply within 1 day by email or even quicker via their live chat or phone lines.

Cons 

Here are the weaker parts about Weebly

• Lacks diversity of function – The tradeoff of using Weebly is that it is not as powerful as Wix. For example, there are fewer features. In addition, some features such as their content management system and analytic tools are much weaker than competitors. 
• Limited customization – As Weebly uses a drop and drop interface and themes, the customization can be quite limited. Wix also has this problem, but they have more tools at their disposal to solve this issue.
• Scaling problems – Weebly is simply not a great platform if you have plans to grow your website in a significant way: it is just a simple website builder for day to day users. 

Who should use Weebly?

• People who need simple websites – As a rule, you should use Weebly if you are not very tech-savvy and want to set up a simple website quickly. One category of users would be associations or clubs who want to set up an information site about their group.

Try Weebly for free today.

#3 – Shopify — Best for Ecommerce

If you plan on selling any type of product online – from jewelry to electric scooters – then your best bet will be to use a dedicated ecommerce platform and website builder. 

Without a doubt, the number one in this category is Shopify. The platform powers over 1 million merchants in 175 different countries, and is the third-largest online retailer in the US, trailing behind only Amazon and eBay. 

The Shopify software represents a complete end to end platform that allows you to set up, manage, and promote a store online. You can easily list your goods for sale, take payments, and fulfill orders – all under one roof. 

Pros 

Here are the best things about Shopify:

• Ecommerce specialty – The main draw of Shopify is that it is a niche website builder focused on setting up an ecommerce store. This means that all their features and processes are geared toward that end, resulting in a powerful platform that can help maximize sales. 
• Security – If you are going to be handling transactions, you need ways to keep your site safe and customer data secure. Shopify stores have strong cybersecurity measures in place which a self-hosted website would typically lack. 
• Integrated sales channels – Shopify has strong integrations with other platforms, such as Facebook and Amazon. This allows you to streamline your sales by managing your catalog on each platform under one roof. 

Cons 

Here are the weaker aspects of Shopify:

• Niche focus on ecommerce – Because the focus is on ecommerce, Shopify lacks some of the features and finesse of other website builders. For instance, their content management system is very limited compared to WordPress.
• Transaction fees + monthly fees – With each sale you make on Shopify, there is a transaction fee that ranges from 2.4% – 2.6%. Combined with payment provider fees, this can eat into your margin. 

Who should use Shopify?

• Brick and mortar stores – If you have an in-person store and are looking to sell your products online, Shopify will offer you a solid footing into the digital world.
• Ecommerce startups – Entrepreneurs that are starting new brands or drop shipping will also benefit from the quick end to end set up that Shopify offers.

#4 – WordPress — Best for Content Management

One of the oldest and most reliable website builders is WordPress. The platform has come a long way since it launched in 2003 and is the most popular content management system on the web today.

In fact, WordPress powers a whopping 37.6% of all websites. 

As WordPress was around during the earlier days of the web, its focus revolved around content, which was the most prominent form of website at the time. 

It maintains that focus to this day, with WordPress having arguably the best content management system out of all the different website builders.

An important caveat is that WordPress is divided into platforms:

• WordPress.org – This is the open-source (free version) of WordPress that comes with greater flexibility, but is harder for non-technical users.
• WordPress.com – This is the paid version. You can get help with the installation of themes and management but is generally less customizable.

Pros 

Here are the best things about WordPress:

• You have full control – Unlike other website builders, WordPress is fully customizable as the site is developed directly with code, as opposed to drag and drop interfaces. This means that you have much more flexibility in terms of design and function.
• Robust blogging and CMS – WordPress is built front the ground up with content in mind. It has some of the best tools for publishing and managing content including team management, advanced scheduling, and categorizations. 
• Lots of plugins – There are over 52,000 plugins available for WordPress. You can measure and boost your SEO with plugins such as YoastSEO, or you could even add a new function such as a shopping cart. 

Cons 

Here are the weaker aspects of WordPress:

• You may need help – As your WordPress site is developed with code, you will likely need help to install and update your WordPress theme. This can come with a hefty cost, particularly if you want ongoing changes.
• Learning curve – If you want to manage and update your site yourself, it can take some time to learn how to do so. Managing and scheduling posts are relatively easy, but updating how your site looks or installing a plugin is much more difficult.
• Security issues – As your WordPress site is self-hosted, you are more vulnerable to cybersecurity issues. Some of the plugins for WordPress also can act as a risk as well. 

Who should use it

• Bloggers – If writing is your main focus, then WordPress is a great choice. The platform is designed for bloggers, optimizing content management, and SEO. WordPress will allow you to scale and get the most out of your content.
• Content centric businesses – Likewise, if you are building a business that is content-heavy, such as a new website, WordPress will help you to manage the operational side of content production much easier. 

Think about your goals

An important thing to keep in mind is that the website builders listed above can serve multiple functions, so this article has provided an overview for you, you will need to look into the details of each platform. 

The best choice for you will come down to both your needs at the moment and where you plan on taking your website in the future. 

After reading reviews like this one, make sure you take a step back and put your particular needs at the forefront of the decision before you commit. 

The post The Best Website Builders (In-Depth Review) appeared first on Neil Patel.

source https://neilpatel.com/blog/best-website-builders/

Best VPN Services

The pandemic has changed work permanently. Before COVID-19, only 9.8 million (out of 140 civilian workers in the U.S.) worked remotely.

Today, almost 70 million people are working remotely. 

Are you working remotely?

If you are, there’s a good chance that you’ll need a virtual private network (VPN).

Small businesses with employees that need to work remotely are also going to need a VPN as well.

Today, we’re going to take a look at VPNs — what they are, why you need them, and how to find the VPN that’s right for you.

The Top 7 VPN Services:

1. NordVPN Teams — Best new service from industry leader
2. ExpressVPN — Consumer favorite, best-in-class
3. Perimeter 81 — Best for small business teams
4. VyprVPN — Best VPN for speed
5. SurfShark — Best for the price
6. Mullvad — Best for anonymity
7. TunnelBear — Best for beginners

What’s a VPN, and Why Do You Need One? 

A VPN is a private network that’s run through a public network — imagine that a remote worker sitting in Starbucks had an extra-long Ethernet cable. They plug one end into their computer, and the other end directly into their company’s servers at work. 

That’s basically what a VPN does; it creates a secure and encrypted tunnel from your computer to a server on the internet.

This is great because it means no one can access the data you’re sharing with your computer and company server. You have privacy and data security.

We’re going to look at seven of the top VPN Services, explaining the pros and cons of each service. 

How to Choose the Best VPN Service for You

When you’re looking for a VPN, the first thing you’ll want to do is identify your needs.

What do you want your VPN to do for you?

Beyond privacy and data security, are there other features you need from your VPN?

In general, most people focus their attention on four specific criteria. 

Speed and Reliability

If you’re planning on using your VPN for things that require a lot of data or activity, you’ll want to choose a service that’s optimized for speed and reliability.

For those who share large files routinely or stream video consistently, you’ll want to select a VPN that provides unlimited connections, unlimited bandwidth, and high download and upload speeds. 

When it comes to speed and reliability, there are factors you control and factors your service provider controls.

Factors within your control include:

• Improving Wi-Fi stability
• Using a wired connection (which is always faster)
• Upgrading your internet connection speeds or your VPN
• Choosing a VPN service with more servers or servers closer to your desired location.

Factors outside your control include:

• Number of servers
• Server load
• Server location/distance (longer distance = slower speeds)
• International bandwidth restrictions (i.e., VPNs in Australia are slow due to underwater fiber optic cables carrying a set amount of data at any one time)
• VPN protocols
• Complicated peering relationships between networks (also reduces speed)

You’ll want to test your VPN speed so you can verify the claims your provider is making. You’ll need two things to do that — an accurate testing method and a baseline for your tests.

Here are some of the more reliable speed tests you can use to verify your VPN speeds. 

• speedof.me
• speedtest.net
• fast.com
• speedtest.xfinity.com

Next, run a speed test on the same connection, with and without your VPN. If you’re on Wi-Fi, stay on Wi-Fi for both tests. Run the tests twice to get an average speed. Run your tests using the same VPN server/location you plan on using with your service. 

Security and Privacy

VPNs should be secure by default; the VPN service you choose should have the basics of security and privacy protection down.

Here are the most important security and privacy requirements you’ll need to consider when choosing a VPN. 

For security:

• Handshake encryption: This takes place at the beginning of the VPN session where you and the server you’re communicating with exchange private keys that encrypt or decrypt data and messages to acknowledge each other.  
• Authentication: Reputable VPN services will use a hash algorithm to automatically verify the packets they receive, making sure that data from a middleman hasn’t been injected into your packet. They’ll also verify that your data hasn’t been tampered with or changed in any way. 
• Ciphers: This is an algorithm, like AES, that encrypts and decrypts your data in a series of clearly defined steps. Using a key to encrypt your data makes it impossible for unwanted eyes to spy on your data unless they have the specific key that was used to encrypt the message. So the unencrypted message “VPNs made easy” would become “FVWWOluB9rHb5KUtyJYqlA==” using the AES algorithm. 
• Encryption strength: 128-bit AES encryption is faster but less secure; 256-bit encryption is slower but more secure. Stronger encryption is obviously harder to break, so this is more of a priority if you’re focused on security. 

For privacy:

• Activity logs: Many free VPN services track your activity — the websites and pages you visit, files downloaded, etc. These free VPNs sell or monetize your usage activity on their VPN without your permission or knowledge. 
• Connection logs: Other VPN services track assigned IP addresses, connection start/end times, or bytes of data transferred. This typically doesn’t include your data, but it can be combined with other data (i.e., the IP address you used to log into your Slack account) to expose your identity. 

If privacy is important to you, you’ll want to stick with log-free VPN services that don’t track your activity or metadata. 

Compatible Devices

If you have an iPhone, but you use Windows on your computer, you’ll want to verify that the VPN services are compatible with your devices.

While most VPN services are compatible with the standard platforms (Windows, Mac, Android, Linux, and iOS), some aren’t available on all platforms. The VPN that’s Windows ready may not be available on Android or iOS.

You’ll want to verify that your devices are all compatible before signing up. 

Connections

How many devices can connect to your VPN service simultaneously?

The availability of connections tends to vary from service to service. Some providers allow just one; others allow up to three, while others are unlimited. You’ll need to identify what you need ahead of time. 

It’s not just connections that you have to worry about, though. You also have to take a look at the availability of countries and the availability of servers.

If you have specific availability needs, you’ll want to verify this with your VPN service provider ahead of time, then confirm this during your free trial or guarantee period. 

Other important VPN considerations include: 

• Payment plans: The cost you’ll pay for VPN services varies considerably, and it depends on the features you choose and the length of your subscription. 
• Customer service: If you need on-demand customer support (in case something goes wrong), you’ll want a VPN service that provides live chat or phone support (which will impact the price). If that’s not as much of a concern, then a provider who offers email support may be a better option. 
• Free trial or money-back guarantee:  If you opt for a service that offers a free trial, you’ll want to choose a service that gives you enough time to try things out. Some VPN services’ free trial period is quite short, which may not be enough time to verify the service on your end. A money-back guarantee is ideal because you have a way out in case their service isn’t what you’ve expected. 
• User friendly or tech-savvy: If you’re not comfortable with setting up and configuring your VPN, you’ll want to make sure you find a provider with a user-friendly interface. Some providers will configure your VPN for you virtually, so everything is done for you ahead of time. 

Now that you have all the important considerations spelled out, it’s time to consider which type of VPN service is going to handle the job best.

The Different Types of VPN Services 

It’s important to make a distinction between VPN technology and VPN services.

As we’ve already discussed, a virtual private network boils down to a secure, private connection between your device and endpoint. That is VPN technology.

VPN services, on the other hand, provide a suite of tools that allow companies to take advantage of VPN technology instead of having to set it up themselves.

Using VPN services, you can not only protect your internet connection and guard your privacy but gain access to extra customer service with configuration guides, automatic setup, and live chat support.

Generally speaking, VPN services break down into these four distinct types:

• Remote Access VPN – Provide a secure connection from a user to a remote server to gain entry to a private network.
• Intranet-based Site-to-Site VPN – Provide a secure connection for various users in different, fixed locations to connect to each other’s resources. For example: With a site-to-site VPN, multiple local area networks (LAN) can connect to a single wide-area network (WAN). Think of one company with numerous locations sharing resources.
• Extranet-based Site-to-Site VPN – Difficult to implement, these VPNs are common in large-scale business environments where you are looking for a secure connection between two separate intranets, but you do not want them having the ability to access each other directly. Think of two different companies working together. 
• Cloud VPN – Also known as virtual private network-as-a-service (VPNaaS), is designed for organizations that rely on outsourced cloud data centers instead of in-house infrastructure. A traditional VPN doesn’t work if your organization stores all of your data in the cloud. A cloud VPN allows users to access a company’s resources — applications, data, and files through a website or via a native desktop or mobile app. 

As a user looking to secure your privacy and access the internet, or secure business data for your remote workforce, you’re most likely looking for commercial VPN Services.

Let’s take a look at our picks for the top VPN providers.

1. NordVPN Teams — Best New Service from Industry Leader

• Pricing: $7 – $9 per mo. 
• Number of servers: 5,000+
• Money-back Guarantee: 30-day
• Support: 24/7 response within 3 hrs.
• Single sign-on: Yes
• Multi-device support: Yes apps on all devices

NordVPN Teams is a new VPN service from an industry leader. NordVPN is known for its consistent performance, a strong stance on privacy, and aggressive security features. The company is based in Panama, where there are no mandatory data retention laws and no legal obligation to collect your data. It’s also important because Panama doesn’t participate in the five eyes or fourteen eyes alliances. 

They don’t track, collect, or share your private data — activity, usage, or metadata. They invited one of the big four auditing firms PriceWaterhouseCoopers AG, to run an industry-first audit of their no logging claims to verify that they’re telling the truth.

NordVPN is one of the few providers that offers double VPN, an advanced VPN security feature that routes your traffic through two VPN servers instead of one, encrypting your data twice.

They provide two-factor authentication and single sign-on, which are standard features for top-tier VPN services. They also provide you with a kill switch, if your connection drops for even a second, the kill switch will cut off all the Internet traffic on your device, ensuring none of your information is exposed online.

For business customers, they provide you with a dedicated account manager that’s assigned to your account.

Your Control Panel enables you to manage user accounts, control permissions, and create gateways. You can oversee user activity, monitor server load, add new users, and create custom teams from inside your control panel. 

Pros

• A trusted brand name
• Thousands of servers around the world
• Single sign-on (SSO) functionality
• Strong on security
• Apps on all devices
• Fast speeds
• Cryptocurrencies and cash accepted

Cons

• Slow app and server connections
• Open VPN connection is not user-friendly
• No split tunneling
• Shared IP addresses

2. ExpressVPN — Consumer Favorite, Best-in-class 

• Pricing: $8.32 per mo. (annual), $12.95 (monthly)
• Number of servers: 3,000+
• Money back Guarantee: 30-day
• Support: 24/7 live chat
• Multi-device support: Yes

ExpressVPN doesn’t have a product strictly designed for businesses. They’re consumer-focused, which is great if you’re a sole proprietor or a remote, contract, or freelance worker on your own. Their apps are compatible with almost every device on the usual platforms; they also have apps for nontraditional platforms, including— Linux, Kindle Fire, Chromebook, and even Barnes and Noble’s Nook! 

Since they’re consumer-focused, their apps are user-friendly, easy to set up, and simple to maintain. They provide you with all of the standard encryption and security features you’d expect from a top-rated VPN provider. And, they also provide you with some unique features like split-tunneling or using their own DNS servers. 

Like NordVPN, they have a no-logging policy as their company is based in the British Virgin Islands. There’s no mandated government surveillance and no data retention laws. 

Pros

• Consumer-focused
• User-friendly and easy-to-use
• Apps available on all devices and platforms
• Strong reputation
• Top-rated security and encryption

Cons

• No VPN services for businesses
• More expensive than their competitors

3. Perimeter 81 — Best for Small Business Teams

• Pricing: $8/mo. (annual), $10/mo. (monthly
• Number of servers: 700+
• Money-back Guarantee: 30-day
• Support: 24/7 live chat
• Single sign-on: Yes
• # of Users: Minimum of 5 team member

Perimeter 81 is an Israeli-based business VPN service that’s unique because of its Cloud VPN architecture. It’s great for users on multiple devices. You don’t need external legacy hardware or tools. It comes with the business features you’d need to run your remote organization safely in the cloud. 

Perimeter 81 is ideal for remote businesses because it protects your business from unexpected mistakes. Their automatic Wi-Fi Security and DNS Filtering features instantly shield your data by automatically activating VPN protection when employees connect to unknown, untrusted networks. According to their website, “All outbound and inbound traffic is encrypted and routed through your dedicated private servers – concealing your company’s actual IP address with an IP mask.”

This protection shields your company from man-in-the-middle attacks and unsecure Wi-Fi networks. Their service keeps your business safe from data breaches, lawsuits due to negligence, and other claims. Employee training is important, but Perimeter protects your employees and your business when they’re working. 

They also provide you with the data you need to monitor network activity. You can audit resource access, monitor bandwidth consumption, and detect network anomalies remotely and at any time. All of this is important because more organizations have a “bring your own device” (BYOD) policy in place.

The potential downside to Perimeter 81’s service is access points. As of today, they have 700 public servers in 36 countries. That might sound like a lot until you realize some of their competitors have double or triple that amount in twice as many countries. 

Pros

• Single sign-on (SSO) functionality
• User friendly and easy-to-use
• Great for remote businesses
• Auto-integrated with all cloud providers
• Secure access to both managed and unmanaged devices

Cons

• Higher price point
• Fewer servers than their competitors

4.  VyprVPN — Best VPN for Speed

• Pricing: $2.50 per mo. (24 mo. plan), $3.75 per mo. (12 mo. plan), $12.95 per mo. (1 mo. plan).
• Number of servers: 700+
• Money-back Guarantee: 30-day
• Support: 24/7 response within 3 hrs
• Privacy: end-to-end
• Multi-device support: desktop and mobile

Owned by Golden Frog GmbH and incorporated in Switzerland, VyprVPN focuses on a few areas — speed, anti-censorship, and privacy. They call their service the “most powerful VPN.” They offer more than 200,000 IP addresses and 700+ servers, across 70 locations internationally. 

Their platform resolves speed issues due to ISP bandwidth throttling. It’s common for users to state that their speeds are close to 100% of their original speeds. This is impressive when you realize that they rely on AES 256-bit encryption. They provide users with unlimited switching between servers and protocols without restrictions. 

VyprVPN provides some of the same features listed from other providers — kill switch, public Wi-Fi protection, and DNS protection. But they also offer a proprietary technology called Chameleon. In this protocol, VyprVPN scrambles your metadata, so it’s not recognizable via deep packet inspection, but it’s still fast and lightweight. As a result, VyperVPN can bypass restrictions from governments, corporations, and ISPs while fighting censorship and maintaining speed. 

VyprVPN also owns and operates their data centers to reduce any risk of a data breach. Other VPN providers route traffic to third-party servers, so they’re not as secure as a service that keeps things in-house. VyprDNS keeps your browsing history private. Their no-logs policy makes a breach unlikely. 

Pros

• Unlimited high-speed bandwidth
• 70+ server locations
• Chameleon protocol
• 5 Simultaneous connections
• No activity or usage logs
• Fast customer support
• VyprDNS
• Self-owned servers

Cons

• Fewer servers than bigger competitors
• Poor speeds in specific regions (EU)
• Slower connection times in specific regions

5. Surfshark — Best for the Price

• Pricing: $1.99 per mo. (24 mo.), $5.99 per mo. (12 mo.), $11.95 per mo. 
• Number of servers: 1,700+
• Money-back Guarantee: 30-day
• Support: 24/7 live chat, email tickets
• Multi-device support: Desktop and mobile platforms

Surfshark is an award winning VPN service that offers incredible value for the price. According to VPNMentor.com, SurfShark is ranked 4th out of 357 VPN services. Their service provides users with 256-bit encryption, double VPN, an automatic kill switch, and a no-log policy. 

They’re headquartered in the British Virgin Islands, so like other VPNs in our list, they’re free from the five, nine, fourteen eyes alliances. While they don’t collect usage or connection data, they do collect your email address, password, and basic billing information. If you’d like to avoid sharing this info, you can use cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. They also collect unique advertising identifiers from third parties for marketing purposes and user analytics.

One detail that stands out with Surfshark is unlimited connections. The number of devices that can connect simultaneously, per license is unlimited. This is great if you’re an individual, but it’s also great if you’re running a business. There are no additional licenses or requirements once you’ve signed up. Just set your VPN up, pay for the service, and you’re all set. 

Surfshark offers its Adblock VPN that blocks advertising and malware, counters phishing attempts, and boosts browsing speed. They offer premium features like private DNS on each server, camouflage mode to mask activity from your ISP, and Multihop – connecting via multiple countries at the same time to maximize footprint masking and ID protection. 

Pros

• Best value for the price
• Unlimited connections/devices
• Built-in ad-blocker
• Whitelister
• Private DNS
• Double VPN
• No logging
• Engaged customer support

Cons

• Medium-sized network
• Moderately reduced speeds in specific regions

6. Mullvad — Best for Anonymity

• Pricing: $5.50 per mo.
• Number of servers: 315+
• Money-back Guarantee: 30-day
• Support: Email

Mullvad believes privacy is a universal right.

Privacy isn’t the same as security. If you’re looking for a VPN service that will go to extreme lengths to protect your privacy,  Sweden-based Mullvad is at the top of the list. They don’t require an email address or even a password from their customers. The company randomly generates a unique code for your username. You use this code to log in to the desktop apps or add credit to your account. They even allow customers to send cash in the mail to pay for your account!

They want to know as little about you as possible.

Mullvad will store your account number, your counts, paid time remaining, and the number of simultaneous connections that are used by your account. This data is kept in temporary memory, then purged once you log off. They log the total number of current connections for a given server, the bandwidth used per server, and the CPU load per core on each server. None of these items contain personally identifiable information.

Mullvad only offers connections in 38 countries, and they only have 315 servers. They don’t use virtual servers, so your VPN connections are running on physical hardware at the location specified. The speed varies based on your location. If you’re in Europe or North America, speeds are generally good. If you’re in Australia or Asia, the performance is generally much slower.

Pros

• Privacy-focused
• Simple and user-friendly
• WireGuard support
• More anonymity than most VPN services
• No affiliates or resellers

Cons

• Focused exclusively on privacy
• Slower speeds in certain locations
• No password protection

7. TunnelBear — Best for Beginners

• Pricing: Free, $3.33 per mo., $5.75 per user, per mo. for teams 
• Number of servers: 20
• Money-back Guarantee: 30-day
• Support: 24/7 email support tickets
• Multi-device support: Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android

TunnelBear‘s service is designed to be incredibly simple for newbies.

They’re based out of Canada, which is a member of the five eyes, nine eyes, and fourteen eyes alliances. This means data that goes through or is stored in Canada is subject to intelligence agreements —they may be legally forced to share your data. TunnelBear states that they have a no-logging policy, so everything seems okay until you read this in their privacy policy. 

“TunnelBear makes good faith efforts to provide you with the ability to delete your Personal Data. However, there may be circumstances in which TunnelBear is unable to delete all your Personal Data.

For example, we are unable to delete it where we are legally required to keep it, including where we need it to continue to offer you the service or if you are involved in litigation with us, we would be required to retain your personal data, which is limited to the fields we discuss above in 1.2, 1.3 and 1.4.”

This data includes your email address, twitter id, paid user designation, operational data, and personal and financial data.

If this isn’t a concern for you or your organization, TunnelBear is a great option for individuals and businesses that want to get started with a VPN but aren’t as knowledgeable as they’d like. 

TunnelBear includes the standard features you need to get started with a VPN — AES 256-bit encryption, tunneling (Android only), hashing, and more. Their service is reasonably priced and designed to help inexperienced people get started with a VPN. 

TunnelBear is transparent about its service, sharing the results of its independent security audits each year on its website. 

Pros

• Designed for inexperienced users
• Generally open and transparent about their service
• Low cost
• Built for individuals and teams
• Offers a free plan

Cons

• May share your data with governments
• No phone or customer support

Conclusion

Whether you’re a freelancer, an entrepreneur with a small team, or a growing business looking for options, a VPN will provide you with the security and peace of mind you need to keep your remote team connected and working safely. 

Your needs are unique, and they’ll dictate which VPN service will work best for you and your business. Weigh the options against your needs for speed, security, privacy, compatible devices and number of connects.

Millions of people are working remotely, and that number continues to grow every day. If you’re not already using a VPN service, now’s a good time to start. 

The post Best VPN Services appeared first on Neil Patel.

source https://neilpatel.com/blog/best-vpn-services/

Best Task Management Software

Disclosure: This content is reader-supported, which means if you click on some of our links that we may earn a commission.

Most project managers confess to having problems with defining clear objectives. And even when goals are clear, it can be challenging to measure progress. Furthermore, it is not always clear who should be working on which tasks. By deploying the right resources at the right time, you can significantly boost team members’ productivity.

Task management software helps solve the challenges mentioned above and much more. You don’t even have to be working in a team to benefit from this software. Prioritizing your tasks helps you systematically approach your goal, increasing the chances of finishing your project on time and within budget.

Task management can be chaotic, especially when working in a team environment with complex tasks and interdependencies. To this end, I have picked out the best seven task management software tools to help you streamline this essential workflow process.

The Top 7 Options For Task Management Software

1. ClickUp – Best Free Task Management Software
2. Trello – Best For Individuals And Small Teams
3. Wrike – Best For Reporting
4. WorkFlow Max – Best For Business Management
5. Jira – Best For Large Agile Teams
6. Microsoft To-Do – Best For Personal Use
7. Accelo – Best For Automation

How To Choose The Best Task Management Software For You

It helps if you have a good idea of the features to look for in task management software. What makes good task management software may vary slightly depending on your specific needs and industry. Once you have an overview of what to look out for, you can then pick out the features that seem to fit your bill and use this as the basis for choosing specific software.

When thinking of purchasing a task management software, don’t be afraid to take advantage of multiple free trials to find the one that best suits your needs. And be aware that some software on this list includes free options. 

Some of the most crucial features, and the ones I used when compiling this review include:

Task Creation

This is the most basic function of a task management tool. You should be able to create tasks and assign them accordingly. Look for custom fields. This feature helps you to define the task so that the assignee understands it easily.

It also helps if the tool allows you to add links, photos, videos, documents, and comments to tasks. Additionally, you should be able to quickly sort the job by your preferred criteria, such as by task, due date, department, or resource.

Notifications as deadlines draw close is a bonus.

Communication Tools

Communication is indispensable in a team working towards a common goal. Good task management software should have built-in communication tools. This could be a discussion board, instant messaging, or both.

Discussion boards are handy for large teams. Everyone can see what other team members are talking about. Some task management tools will even let you create task cards out of these discussions. This feature can come in handy during a productive brainstorming session.

Visualization

Once the project is underway, it helps if team members can have simple visuals of the process as it unfolds. Kanban boards do this very well, offering a simple view of individual tasks and their progress. The drag-and-drop feature of kanban boards also makes them easy to work with.

Gnatt charts are also very popular for task management. These charts are familiar and offer plenty of information at a glance, including assignee, start and end dates, dependencies, and completion percentage.

Reporting

Creating reports can be tedious, but it is an essential part of task management. Software with a reporting tool makes the process much more comfortable. You can insert and collect data regarding budget, expenses, performance, resource allocation, and more.

Some software has templates, automated reporting based on pre-defined criteria, and customized reporting. Look for reporting features that will provide you with the highest value information for your needs. 

Notifications

You cannot expect team members to be on the dashboard at all times. You will be reassigning tasks, adding comments, or making other changes to jobs. Notifications help keep everyone in the loop in real-time of any changes. Some task management software will also notify users of upcoming deadlines or other urgent actions that need to be taken.

The Different Types Of Task Management Software

There are three basic types of task management software. 

Individual Task Management Software

A single person uses individual task management software. You may think of this as your day planner, calendar, or diary. This software is often simple and has basic features to create lists and track progress.

The software may be installed on various machines or accessed as a cloud service by multiple people. Even in these cases, the tool is for personal use. This option is perfect for coordinating simple office or personal tasks.

Collaborative Task Management Software

As the name suggests, collaborative task management software is used by a team. This software is interactive, allowing team members to change their projects’ status as they progress through the workflow cycle. Collaborative software is designed for a single team working on a joint project.

Integrated Task Management Software

You’ll often see this type of software in large organizations. A single interface collects and displays project information from a diverse group of teams. Project managers can access data for all ongoing projects and teams from a single interface. The software typically integrates with additional file-sharing tools like Outlook, email, Dropbox, Slack, and more.

#1 – ClickUp – Best Free Task Management Software

ClickUp is an excellent option if you have a small team and cannot yet justify the cost of task management software. Some companies that use this tool include Uber, Nike, Google, and Airbnb.

ClickUp has a free version with an incredible suite of features and capabilities. The free version also supports unlimited tasks and unlimited members.

You get many advanced features, including automation, mind maps, goals, portfolio, sprints, Gantt charts, real-time collaborations, workload view, and more than 50 native integrations.

The software’s layout is user-friendly and allows you to break down tasks into subtasks for easier management. One subtle but handy feature is the assignable comments feature. You can convert comments into independent tasks with the click of a button. 

The mentions feature is also quite useful for getting team members’ attention.

ClickUp is also highly customizable, and you have free reign to customize status toolbars, tasks, categories, sections, and comments. The features and functionality of the free plan are almost as good as some paid task management software.

ClickUp has a free version as well as three paid plans, including:

• Unlimited: $5 per member per month
• Business: $9 per member per month
• Enterprise: Contact the ClickUp sales team for pricing.

You may need to go for a paid plan if you find that the free version is too restrictive or need more spaces. However, this is highly unlikely for a small team with a relatively simple workflow. 

#2 – Trello – Best Task Management Software for Individuals and Simple Workflow

Trello is a task management tool in the best sense. You can equally think of this software as a Kanban board app. The software includes boards, lists, and cards, allowing you to create as many projects and columns as you need to track progress.

You can assign tasks to team members, attach files to each task, create checklists, and add comments, tag members, and link files. Trello is highly customizable, allowing you to annotate cards with labels so you can quickly identify them.

The drag-and-drop feature is very handy. Team members simply slide their cards from one column to the next (e.g., from To Do to In Progress) as they hit the various milestones. The board view keeps everything clearly organized and labeled.

The Power-Up feature is worth noting. You can add integrations and features to your boards, including custom fields, social media, document management, time-tracking, and calendar view. The free version offers only one power-up, but you get more with the paid plans.

Trello’s plan tiers include:

• Free Version
• Business Class: $9.99 per user per month
• Enterprise: $17.50 per user per month

Trello is a perfect tool for project managers who want a quick and straightforward overview of the workflow. The free version is equally suitable for an individual managing a startup or even a household. The software has over 19 million users worldwide, including Adobe, Fender, Pixer, and Google.

#3 – Wrike – Best Task Management Software For Reporting

Strictly speaking, Wrike is a project management tool, and you can see this with its robust and powerful features. You can see who is assigned which task, the duration for the task, dependencies, and the task’s progress from one simple dashboard.

You can view and manage projects using lists, tables, kanban boards, and Gantt charts. By default, Wrike sorts tasks by status (active or complete), but you can customize the headers for additional workflow categories.

Despite its numerous features, Wrike is straightforward to use. You can choose from templates for project scheduling, agile teamwork, marketing campaign management, product launch, professional services management, complex project with phases, and much more.

Another handy feature is the document editor. This one allows you to edit documents directly on the cloud without first having to download them. The purpose-built templates also make this software very easy to use. 

Additional features include:

• Advanced integrations
• File sharing
• Collaborators
• Calendars
• Graphical analytics
• Time tracking
• Salesforce integration
• User audit report
• Automation engine

The Business plan or higher comes highly recommended for its reporting capabilities. You can share reports in real-time, have access to report templates, and schedule report notifications.

Wrike also has add-on features you can integrate into your account by paying an additional fee. Wrike Analyze, for example, is basically a business intelligence tool. You don’t need to export, run, or manage reports anywhere else except your account. You can create highly customized, highly visual reports. Choose from 15 different visuals, including heatmaps, pie charts, and column charts. You can also create a dashboard just for reporting.

Wrike has a free plan and three paid tiers:

• Professional: $9.80 per user per month
• Business: $24.80 per user per month
• Enterprise: Contact Wrike for pricing

Wrike is straightforward to use for such a feature-rich task management tool.

#4 – WorkFlow Max – Best Task Management Software For Business Management

WorkFlow Max does everything you would need task management software to do and more. You can assign tasks complete with a to-do checklist, estimate task times, and set due dates. You can track the progress of the entire project and individual tasks making up the project.

You can also view jobs based on the assignee, important date, progress, or deadline. You can also view the completed percentage of each task in real-time. There is an automated feature for assigning recurring jobs complete with start and end dates, templates, descriptions, and categories.

The advanced time tracking feature allows you to record time in eight different ways. Additionally, you can include details of how time is spent, which is useful for creating detailed reports. Time tracking with the software also helps you compare the actual time it takes to complete tasks compared to the estimated time.

WorkFlow Max also helps with billing and payments. You can send out invoices, manage un-invoiced jobs, and track job costs. The job costing feature is particularly useful and tracks the estimated cost down to individual tasks. It also tracks quoted costs and the actual costs. WorkFlow Max all but guarantees you will be sending out accurate quotes.

Additional WorkFlow Max features include:

• Document management
• Lead manager
• Client manager
• Purchase orders
• Custom fields
• Xero integration
• Reporting
• Notifications

WorkFlow Max is owned by Xero and easily integrates with the latter’s software and systems, including Xero Accounting Software. This tool also integrates with more than 25 other products, including Dropbox, Box, Adobe Time Tracking, Actual, Google Drive, and Flexitime.

You can get WorkFlowMax starting at $45 per month. There is also a full-feature app available for iOS and Android.

#5 – JIRA – Best Task Management Software For Large Agile Teams

JIRA is designed explicitly with software developers in mind. Its kanban workflow features make it attractive to a diverse group of industries. If you are looking for task management software optimized for agile, JIRA is the best choice.

If you are already using JIRA, there is no need to sign up for a separate service. The platform works on a ticket system, making sure that tasks are completed in sequence. As is often the case in software development, some tasks may be interdependent. JIRA allows you to link tickets easily.

JIRA also supports kanban and standard sprint planning, among other workflows. You can easily switch between kanban boards, Gantt charts, and spring backlogs. Users can create and save stories and easily retrieve them, complete with estimate, weight, and priority.

Additional features include:

• Request management
• Problem management
• Knowledge management
• Incident management
• Configuration management
• Agile methodologies
• Portfolio management
• Milestone tracking

JIRA may not be the easiest task management tool to use outside software development, but this is an easy problem to overcome. JIRA integrates with other project management tools such as Proggio. You can also sync the two tools so that completing a JIRA task is marked as such on Proggio.

This task management software is also scalable and easily accommodates a fast-growing software development team. JIRA has three plans:

• Standard: $60 per month
• Premium: $40 per month
• Enterprise: Contact JIRA for pricing

It’s hard to beat this task management tool for large DevOps teams.

#6 – Microsoft To-Do – Best Task Management Mobile App For Personal Tasks

If you wish you had an easier time organizing your personal life, Microsoft To-Do just might be the answer. You can do a lot, including creating tasks, setting reminders, prioritizing tasks, adding due dates, attaching notes or files to tasks, and grouping related tasks together.

This is a mobile and web app, so you can access your planner anywhere and anytime. You can also share your to-do lists with others, including colleagues, family, and friends.

Microsoft To-Do also integrates with Outlook Tasks, so you can also manage your professional tasks along with your day-to-day personal tasks. This app is also very intuitive and suggests personalized tasks that you might want to add to your list.

This is a straightforward yet effective task management app, and it is free! This is more like a daily planner and is an excellent alternative to Trello if you don’t need the latter’s more complicated features.

#7- Accelo – Best Task Management Software For Automation

If you find that you are spending a lot of time on recurring tasks, you could automate them to make task management smoother. Accelo does exceedingly well in this regard. The software provides several automated features. You can configure essential milestones and set up the system such that users are prompted to enter information or update fields.

You can also automate client communications. Accelo automatically tracks emails, giving you crucial client information in one place. Other features you can automate include routing emails, billing, and timesheets. You can also automate triggers such as closing a ticket, sending emails, or converting emails to tickets.

Setting up recurring tasks is also very easy with this software. You can configure these tasks on a calendar and have the system automatically assign them to team members on the predetermined date.

Accelo is easy to use for task management. You can reassign and reorder tasks as you go along, then send notifications to team members when you rearrange tasks.

The simple dashboard lets you sort tasks by workload, status, or due date. Additionally, you can highlight tickets that require immediate or special attention, such as overdue or unassigned tickets.

Accelo is highly customizable and serves a range of industries, including digital and creative, business consulting, information technology, engineering, marketing, property and architecture, and more. The industry-specific templates, which you can also personalize, allows Accelo to adjust your task and project management requirements seamlessly.  

Additional features include:

• Team inbox
• Project collaboration
• Client database
• Client records
• Usage tracking
• Quotes
• Invoicing
• Reporting dashboard

Accelo has five different offerings, including Projects, Sales, Retainers, and Service. These cost $39 per month. You can also go for the All-in-One ServOps for $79. This option gives you all the features of the other four options combined.

Summary

It doesn’t matter if you prefer proactive methodology like Waterfall or reactive methods like Scrum or Agile. A task management tool will help you manage the workflow cycle and increase efficiency and productivity.

It pays if you first take some time to define your task management needs. After, pick the best task management software that best fits the day-to-day problems you are attempting to solve using this guide.

Be honest about your requirements and look to the future before making your final decision. Robust (and more expensive) project management software may be more capable of handling complex tasks and is easily scalable than a simple kanban board tool like Trello.

The post Best Task Management Software appeared first on Neil Patel.

source https://neilpatel.com/blog/best-task-management-software/

Best Domain Registrar

Disclosure: This content is reader-supported, which means if you click on some of our links that we may earn a commission.

Do you want to skip the read and get right to my top picks? The best domain registrar for most people is Bluehost (get a free domain with hosting) or Domain.com.

The best domain registrars are affordable, easy to use, and secure. 

But with thousands of options to choose from, analysis paralysis takes over. From privacy and security to configuration and DNS management, it’s understandable to feel confused or unsure. 

However, there’s good news. I’ve used countless domain registrars over the course of my online career and I’ve narrowed things down to my top five recommendations. 

As long as you choose one of these registrars, you’ll be in good hands. 

In this article, I cover how to choose the best domain registrar, the different places to get a domain, and the only companies I highly recommend to anyone interested in creating a new website for their business.

Let’s get started!

The top 5 options for domain registration:

1. Bluehost – Best for bundling with web hosting
2. Domain.com – Best for long-term registrations
3. Namecheap – Cheapest domain registrar
4. NameSilo – Best for buying domains in bulk
5. Google Domains – Best for Google integration

How to Choose the Best Domain Registrar for You

Deciding on a domain registrar can feel impossible, especially with so many options to choose from. 

Knowing what to look for helps narrow things down. 

I’ve been using websites for my businesses for years. Finding an good domain registrar is a task I’m very familiar with.

I don’t always pick the same one, because certain domain registrars are better to use in different situations.

Let’s walk through the criteria I use when considering what makes a good domain registrar and why.

Registration Period and Renewal Rates

Most domain registrars offer promotional pricing for your initial contract term. Some limit your initial contract term to one or two years, while others may give you five to ten years.

So if you’re looking to save money, your best bet is opting for the longest registration period available. This is also a great way to ensure no one else can buy it, since you don’t have to remember to renew it every year. 

Domain.com offers a five-year registration period, so I highly recommend it. However, Namecheap offers ten years, so it’s also a great option. 

Number of Domains

It’s common for large and small companies alike to buy multiple domain names, including:

• Common misspellings of their original name
• Various domain extensions
• And similar domain names

Why? To make sure no one else can buy a similar name or intentional misspelling to steal their traffic. It also ensures your website is easy to find, even if someone doesn’t know how to spell it or what extension you’re using. 

And while it’s a good idea, it’s not necessary, especially if you’re just starting out. 

If you’re interested in buying 50+ domains, NameSilo is your best option. However, if you need less than that (or just one), Domain.com is my #1 recommendation. 

Furthermore, if you need web hosting as well, Bluehost offers one domain name free for the first year. So, this is an excellent option if you need a single domain name and web hosting for a new website. 

Domain Management

Domain names may feel like a “set it and forget it” type of thing. But in reality, they aren’t. They require ongoing management including renewals, security, and accessibility. 

Different domain registrars may handle domain management differently, so it’s crucial to understand how things work with the company you choose. 

For example, most registrars offer auto renew services, meaning you don’t have to manually renew your domain registration every year. 

This is essential for keeping your website accessible, even during your renewal period. 

Alternatively, you may need to terminate your domain. So, you need to understand the guidelines for doing so with the domain registrar you choose. 

Furthermore, you may have to manually connect your domain or verify different services using DNS management (it’s a lot easier than it sounds). So make sure the domain registrar you choose gives you unlimited access to your DNS records. 

WHOIS Privacy

Domain name registration involves providing your personal details to the domain registrar. However, doing so means your information is now part of the public record. 

But the good news is it doesn’t have to be, thanks to WHOIS protection. 

This is a privacy service that masks private information, like your email, address, phone number, and more. So, it’s not accessible to scammers, hackers, or anyone looking for your information online. 

Some registrars charge for this service, while others offer it for free.

But I highly recommend you use it, unless you’re registering your domain with your company’s address, phone number, etc. This information is already public so it won’t hurt to have it attached to your domain. 

Note: Domain.com charges $8.99/year and Bluehost charges $11.88/year for this. But Namecheap, NameSilo, and Google Domains offer privacy for free.

Domain Transfers

If you want to change domain registrars in the future, you have to do a domain transfer. Some registrars make this free and easy, while others charge for it. 

So, make sure you read through your registrar’s transfer policy before making any final decisions. It’s important to choose a company you can count on, even when you’re transferring to a different service. 

Otherwise, the transfer can cause unwanted downtime or accessibility issues for your website. 

Domain Name Extensions

The most common domain extension is .com, though there are others including .org, .net, .io, .tech, and more. Plus, there are also country specific extensions, too. 

If you want a .com, you’re safe choosing any of the registrars on this list. 

However, if you’re looking for a different extension, you need to search around to find a registrar that offers what you want. 

The Different Types of Domain Registrars

There are several different places you can buy a domain name. However, I highly recommend going through a domain registrar or with your web hosting provider. 

Domain Registrars

Domain registrars handle the tech side of assigning IP addresses to domain names and reserving domain names as well.

With that said, you’re in charge of managing and maintaining your domain name after you purchase it from the domain registrar. 

Bundled with Web Hosting

If you need web hosting, you can get a free domain name from Bluehost for the first year. 

Resellers

Domain resellers are exactly what they sound like. They resell domain names in partnership with domain registrars, but resellers typically charge extra so they can make money, too. Furthermore, they usually don’t have dedicated support. 

This is why I don’t recommend buying through a reseller. 

All of the recommendations on this list are domain registrars or web hosting companies. 

However, you can check ICANN for a complete list of accredited domain registrars. If a company isn’t on the list, they’re probably a reseller. 

#1 – Bluehost — Best for Bundling with Web Hosting

Bluehost is my #1 web hosting recommendation. And you also get a free domain name for the first year when you bundle the two together. 

So, if you’re starting a brand new website, Bluehost is an excellent choice.

However, if you want to buy more than one domain name, I highly recommend using a domain registrar, like NameSilo, instead. Bluehost domains are more expensive than other options on this list so it only makes sense if you need one domain with web hosting, as well. 

All domain registrations come with standard features, including:

• Intuitive domain management dashboard
• Free SSL certificate
• Auto renewals
• Domain locking
• Complete DNS control
• 24/7 expert support
• Self-service knowledge base

After the first year, your .com domain name renews at $12.99 per year. And you have to pay an additional $11.99 per year ($0.99 per month) to mask your private information. 

Bluehost also offers a Microsoft 365 upsell, but you can skip this and purchase it separately if you end up needing it later on. 

#2 – Domain.com — Best for Long-term Registrations

Domain.com powers more than 1.2 million websites around the world. With a beginner-friendly interface, and the ability to buy as many domain names as you want, it’s my #1 recommendation. 

It’s also great for long-term registrations because you can register your domain for up to five years at a time. 

This means you don’t have to worry about renewing it every year and you can pay for everything in advance (no annual payments). 

Every domain comes with:

• Transfer Lock Security – TLS
• A free SSL certificate
• Email and URL forwarding
• Complete DNS control
• 24/7/365 customer support
• An extensive knowledge base

Furthermore, Domain.com is extremely affordable. You can expect to pay $9.99 per year for .com domains for your initial contract period. And they renew at $13.99 per year after that. 

They also offer hundreds of different domain extensions including .blog, .co, .net, and .org plus some you’ve probably never heard of. 

However, keep in mind you have to pay an extra $8.99/year for privacy and protection. 

Domain.com also offers several upsells throughout the process including G Suite and web hosting. But you can skip these and buy them separately if you end up needing them. 

#3 – Namecheap — Cheapest Domain Registrar

Although price is a small factor, if you’re looking for the most affordable domain registrar for a single domain, you should choose Namecheap.

They’re a reputable domain registrar currently managing more than 10 million domain names.

Plus, their straightforward and intuitive interface makes buying a domain name a breeze. It takes less than a few minutes and you don’t have to worry about countless upsells or distractions. 

With that said, there are a few upsells you can skip, including web hosting, private email, G Suite, and EasyWP. You don’t need any of these from your domain registrar. 

You can (and should) buy these separately if you end up needing them down the road. 

However, every domain registration includes:

• Free privacy protection
• Domain name security
• 24/7 live chat support
• Extensive knowledge base
• Full DNS access

Prices start at $8.88 per year for .com domains. Namecheap is constantly having sales, so you may be able to get it for even less.

You can register for up to ten years in advance, which is an excellent way to save a few dollars and avoid the hassle of renewing every year. 

Keep in mind that your domain name renews at $12.98 per year after your initial contract. 

#4 – NameSilo — Best for Buying Domains in Bulk

If you’re interested in buying numerous domain names to cover similar names, common misspellings, or alternative extensions, NameSilo is the best choice. 

They offer bulk order discounts if you buy more than 50 domains in a single order. 

However, if you need a single domain name (or fewer than ten), I recommend going with Domain.com instead. It’s a bit more expensive but it’s easier to use. 

Every domain you purchase automatically comes with:

• Free privacy protection for life
• DNS management tools
• Email and domain forwarding
• Domain defender protection
• Locking/unlocking capability
• Monetized parking page
• 24/7 customer support

For 1 – 49 domain names, each .com is $8.99 per year ($0.10 more than Namecheap). However, that price stays the same when it’s time for renewal, rather than jumping up a few dollars more per year. 

For 50 – 100 names, each one is $8.89 per year. With steeper discounts at higher volumes. So, the more you buy, the more money you can save. 

And these discounted rates apply at renewal time as long as you have the same number of active domains in your account. 

Lastly, don’t forget to say “yes” to WHOIS privacy protection at checkout.  It’s free but you have to opt in to use it.

NameSilo is definitely my pick for people who need buy a large number of domains because they make it easy and affordable in the long run.

#5 – Google Domains — The Best for Google Integration

If you’re used to the Google interface, Google Domains is comfortable and familiar. 

Plus, they also make it a breeze to integrate your domain with other Google tools, like G Suite, Google Analytics, and Google Search Console. 

Furthermore, Google Domains is a smart choice if you only need 1 – 10 domain names and appreciate the simplicity of the Google platform. However, if you need more than that, there are cheaper alternatives for buying domain names in bulk (like NameSilo). 

With absolutely no upsells, it’s hard to beat the streamlined checkout process. 

And every domain name includes:

• Free privacy protection (unlike Domain.com and Bluehost)
• Email forwarding services
• Easy access to add-on services
• Domain sharing
• 2-step verification
• Cloud DNS
• DNS exporting
• 24/7 customer support

At $12.99 per year, Google Domains is affordable and inline with the other domain registrars on this list. However, you get privacy protection for free as an added value.

Shortlist Google Domains if you are already using their other tools like G Suite and Google Workspace. The price is similar to others, but the integration with other Google products is unbeatable.

Summary

At the end of the day, the registrar you choose doesn’t really matter (as long as you go with one of these recommendations). What’s important iis getting the domain name and extension you want at a reasonable price with the protection and security you need. 

With that said, Domain.com is great for most users and Bluehost offers a free domain for the first year if you need web hosting services as well. 

However, both charge extra for privacy protection.

On the other hand, NameSilo, Google Domains, and Namecheap offer this protection for free. 

NameSilo is excellent if you need hundreds of domains. Google Domains makes sense if you’re comfortable with the Google interface (and sharing more info with Google). And Namecheap is the most affordable registrar for .com domains. 

So, regardless of what you need, your new domain name is just a few clicks away. 

Which domain registrars have you tried in the past? And how was your experience?

The post Best Domain Registrar appeared first on Neil Patel.

source https://neilpatel.com/blog/best-domain-registrar/

The Best Web Hosting Services (In-Depth Review)

Disclosure: This content is reader-supported, which means if you click on some of our links that we may earn a commission.

Do you want to skip the read and get right to my top picks? The best web hosting service for most people is Dreamhost or Hostinger.

Looking for a hosting solution for your website?

You’re in luck because with today’s options, it has never been easier to keep your website online.

They take care of all the technical stuff and you get to enjoy casually updating your website for conversions.

And the best part is that most of them are very affordable which helps startups get a hold of their business quickly.

That’s why I put together a list of the best hosting services of 2021 for you.

So without further ado…

The Top 8 Options For Hosting Your Website in 2021:

1. Dreamhost Best option if you want quick and responsive website changes
2. Hostinger – Low-Cost shared hosting options for startups
3. Bluehost – Best for WordPress hosting
4. Nexcess – Best ecommerce hosting
5. HostGator – Most affordable option for startups
6. WP Engine – Best option if you know your limits
7. InMotion – Best option for scaling BIG
8. Siteground – Best for WooCommerce hosting

How to Choose The Best Hosting Service For Your Website:

When it comes to the best web hosting services you have to look at various important factors.

If you jump in too quick you might get into something that’s not suitable for your business.

But don’t let any of that doubt creep into your mind. 

Instead, sit back and relax while we present to you all the factors that you need to be aware of before making a decision.

You can weigh the different web hosting services and decide which is the best solution for your specific business.

Hosting factor #1 – Uptime reliability: 

If your hosting is down, no one would be able to access your website.

And obviously you want your website running 24/7.

Luckily, in 2021 this is not a huge problem since most web hosting providers offer a ‘99.99% network uptime guarantee’.

That means that your website would go down very rarely.

And even when it does, you can contact your hosting service and you will get compensation.

Most of the time that would be in the form of hosting credits.

If you want to prepare for the worst, you can check out our Website Downtime Survival Guide.

One of the best practices to making sure everything runs smoothly even when you’re taking a break is to sign up for a tracking tool like uptime robot. 

If your hosting service crosses the line, this tool will notify you that you need to find a new webserver to host.

Hosting factor #2 – Speed is key:

Website loading speed is extremely crucial when it comes to SEO optimization in 2021.

That’s simply because if your pages load slowly, people will bounce out of your website and your ranking will fall down the drain.

You need a trustworthy host provider that can guarantee optimal website loading speed.

The thing is that you can’t know the exact loading speed before you try the hosting service yourself.

But you can always optimize your website loading speed using free tools and effective loading speed practices.

And the best news is that even if your budget is tight, you can still get a good loading speed.

But don’t expect anything spectacular for say $4/month.

Generally, the higher the price, the faster your pages will load.

Anyways, we will include our personal experience regarding loading speed for each of the options down below.

Hosting factor #3 – Customer service:

Good Customer Service will come in handy when something goes wrong.

Especially if you’re new to websites, you’re bound to make mistakes that may lead to your website being down for a while.

And the more time it’s out, the more it will cost you.

So a good support team will help you get the issues solved in no time.

Even if you made a major mistake that’s impossible to come back from…

Most support teams will have a full backup of your website so you can get back to a working version.

You always want your support team to have a live chat or a telephone you can call.

Email just doesn’t make the cut if you want to resolve the issue fast, which you should want, given that your website is down.

We made sure to include only website hosting services with strong communication skills.

The Different Types of Web Hosting Services:

In 2021 there are a lot of different types of web hosting services.

The most commonly used being:

Shared Hosting

This means your website will be stored on the same server as a bunch of other websites.

It is a cheap option for startup websites.

With the right one, you can have customizable options and average loading speed.

Don’t look at Shared Hosting as a long-term solution because Shared Hosting can not withstand high levels of traffic.

It’s definitely a good solution for people that just want to get their website up and running fast.

VPS Hosting

The Virtual Private Server (VPS) is definitely a better option than Shared Hosting.

Each website is hosted in its own virtual space which speeds up your loading speed and also allows you to get more traffic on your website.

This option is best if you’re planning to scale your website fast.

Yet again, it’s not a long-term option if you want to be one of the top websites in your industry.

Simply because it still has limitations when it comes to website traffic.

Dedicated Hosting

This is considered the most reliable and overall the best option out there.

You get a dedicated server just for your website with full control over everything.

But prepare yourself for a pricey alternative.

That option is mainly for the best of the best.

If you have plans to scale your traffic to enormously high levels, this is the only option for you.

But if you’re just starting out, we recommend one of the other 2 options.

Anyways, the web hosting services below give you the option to choose between different types of hosting services.

So just choose the one that fits your business and your budget best.

#1 – Dreamhost — Best Option if You Want quick and Responsive Website Changes

Dreamhost has been a big player for the longest time now. 

Founded in 1996 it is one of the oldest hosting services available online.

Some people might think it must be outdated by now.

But that can’t be further from the truth.

Exactly because of their ability to adapt quickly to new trends they’re still considered one of the best in the business.

They don’t look at your website as just another website.

They know that your website is your own vision for the future.

“We Make Sure Your Purpose, Is Our Purpose”

And that’s not just words. Over 1.5 million websites host with Dreamhost.

You can expect great loading speed and friendly, helpful customer support on your side.

With incredibly adaptable services you can literally change your business in a matter of hours.

They know that things change as time passes.

Maybe you want to try out something new.

Maybe you’re certain that your current business model is outdated.

With their fascinating adaptable features, they will be your best friend when making major changes in your website.

#2 – Hostinger — Low-Cost Shared Hosting Options for Startups

Hostinger is unique with it’s Shared Hosting Services.

Their prices literally start from $0.99/month. WOW.

Of course, you’ll be very limited with this option but it shows how much they are ready to do in order to satisfy their customers.

We personally recommend one of the higher tier options:

The good thing with Hostinger is that for as low as $3.99/month you can get unlimited access to everything.

With 24/7/365 support, you can expect professional assistance at any point.

That’s less than four bucks a month for great loading speed and daily website backups.

That means even if you mess up badly, you always have access to previous versions of your website.

It is the best option if you’re searching specifically for a Shared Hosting Service that’s affordable and reliable.

#3 – Bluehost — Best for WordPress Hosting

If you’re looking to set up your website in less than a week, you’re probably considering WordPress.

After all, according to NetCraft, 35% of the Internet is powered by WordPress.

And it’s not a surprise. WordPress has been a leader in the industry for years now.

So if you’re looking for the best hosting option for your WordPress website, you can definitely trust Bluehost.

Their pricing options are competitive. Basic is $3.95/month and Choice Plus is just $5.95/month to get started.

This is really affordable considering all the unlimited features they bring to the table.

Regarding website loading speed, as long as you don’t fill your WordPress site with plugins, you should be good.

And even if you make a crucial mistake or overload your website with different plugins, you’re in good hands.

Their Customer Support is extremely responsive. They have both an active telephone line and a live chat you can rely on at all times.

#4 – Nexcess — Best Ecommerce Hosting

If you want a hands-off hosting solution for your online store, Nexcess is an incredibly smart choice. Use coupon code NEIL40 for 40% off 4 months.

They offer a wide range of hosting options with specialty solutions for Magento, WordPress, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Drupal, and more.

Plus, you get one-click auto-scaling to handle unexpected traffic spikes, 24/7 monitoring and customer support, and premium SSL certificates to keep your site and visitors safe.

So, you get everything you need to start, manage, and scale your online store.

On top of the amazing features, Nexcess has been around for 20 years with more than 500,000+ websites under their belt.

As such, they know a thing or two about how to help make your life easier.

With that said, it’s not the cheapest option on this list. But you do get more features, better support, and improved performance with the higher price tag.

So, if you need advanced security or expect to grow quickly, Nexcess is an excellent e-commerce hosting solution.

WordPress hosting plans start at $15 per month for one store, 15 GB of space, and two TB of bandwidth.

However, pricing varies based on the platform you choose. Use coupon code NEIL40 for 40% off 4 months. Sign up now.

#5 – HostGator — Most Affordable Option for Startups

HostGator is one of the most preferred options when it comes to blogging.

They are perfect if you’re looking for the most affordable way to begin posting online.

Pricing options start from the jaw-dropping $2.75/month.

Once again, you can’t expect the best features for such a low price.

But it’s a great alternative for startups that want to get their website up and running.

And just like Bluehost, they have a responsive telephone line with a live chat you can access at any moment.

You can also find a giant database with common questions beginners have, together with professional opinions and solutions to those problems.

Everything is explained and demonstrated step-by-step and if you’re still not sure that you can do it on your own.

Just shoot them a message and start chatting with their professional customer support.

#6 – WP Engine — Best Option if You Know Your Limits

We’re getting to the more advanced options now.

With WP Engine you can customize and get the exact features you need.

Of course, their services are not as cheap as some of the others on the list.

But if you’re certain what are the exact characteristics you need in a website, then WP Engine got your back.

You just have to contact them and work out the best plan for your specific situation.

Of course, their experts are going to help you choose the correct option without pushing you to stuff you wouldn’t need.

It’s a great Hosting Service if you’re looking to scale big.

Don’t expect cheap services, but expect great quality and support on the way to your successful business.

#7 – InMotion — Best Option for Scaling BIG

Are you positive that your website is going to dominate the online space?

If you’re 100% sure, then you should definitely take a closer look at InMotion.

Their VPS and Dedicated hosting services are far from cheap.

But with Premium prices come Premium services. We are talking fast loading speed and devoted customer support.

Obviously there’s also affordable WordPress Hosting and Shared Hosting options.

But if you’ve tried these before and now you’re looking for the next step.

InMotion is going to overdeliver on every promise.

Check out their plans and choose the one that fits your needs best.

#8 – Siteground — Best for WooCommerce Hosting

Do you want to sell your products online?

Then you’re probably in need of a good, reliable WooCommerce Hosting Service.

If that’s that case, then you should take a look at Siteground.

They have separated their pricing options depending on your scalability.

Most Hosting Services cut you here and there when it comes to cheaper options.

This is not the case here!

Siteground really wants to overdeliver, even if you choose their cheapest options.

Their Customer Service has a whopping 90% resolution at first contact.

That means that 90% of the time you’ll chat or speak with an expert in their team and resolve your issue in no time.

So if you’re looking for the best WooCommerce solution, Siteground is the hosting service for you.

Your Hosting Service Is Your Best Friend

Make sure you make a well-thought-out decision.

You’re most likely going to have a long-term relationship with the hosting service you choose.

So carefully look into every option that caught your eye today and choose the one that fits your needs best.

So, whether you choose one of my top recommendations or scout out your own, use the tips and best practices we talked about to make an educated decision… like the future of your business depends on it. 

Because it does!

Have you worked with any website hosting companies in the past? How did it go and did you get the results you hoped for?

The post The Best Web Hosting Services (In-Depth Review) appeared first on Neil Patel.

source https://neilpatel.com/blog/best-web-hosting-services/

The Best Blogging Platforms (In-Depth Review)

Disclosure: This content is reader-supported, which means if you click on some of our links that we may earn a commission.

Do you want to skip the read and get right to my top pick? The best blogging platform for most people is Wix.

Whether you want to become a blogger for a big-time news publication, share your independent thoughts online, make millions as a blogger, or something in between, it all starts with a blogging platform. 

And choosing the right one sets precedence for everything else you do. 

But with so many options to choose from, picking the best blogging platform can feel overwhelming. 

So to help you out, I created a list of considerations to think about as you go through the process and reviewed the top five blogging platforms on the market today. 

By the end of this article, you’ll be well on your way to starting your own blog. 

The top 6 options for blogging platforms:

1. Wix – Best drag-and-drop blogging platform
2. WordPress.org – Best open-source blogging platform
3. Squarespace – Best for visual-based businesses
4. Medium – Best traditional blogging platform
5. Blogger – Best for personal blogs

How to choose the best blogging platform for you 

Choosing a blogging platform is an important decision. And the one you choose depends on what you hope to do with your new blog and how much control you want to have. 

So, let’s walk through what to consider as you make your final decision. 

Do you want to make money?

This is probably the most crucial question to ask yourself. 

If you want to start a personal blog to share your thoughts and experiences, you’re completely fine going with a free blogging platform, like Medium or Blogger. 

However, if you want to make money blogging, you have to be careful. Most free platforms don’t let you monetize your blog.

So, you need to choose a premium blogging platform that gives you more control, like Wix, WordPress.org, or Squarespace. 

Do you already have a website?

If you want to add a blog to a website you already have, I highly recommend looking into your website platform’s blogging capabilities. 

This is the easiest way to add a blog to a website that already exists. 

Alternatively, you can look into migrating your website to Wix, WordPress.org, or Squarespace. However, I recommend staying with the platform you’re already using if you can. 

Customization capabilities

Paid blogging platforms give you more control and design flexibility, allowing you to build a complete website and brand around your blog.

You can customize the look and feel of nearly every aspect of your website instead of having to color inside the lines someone else drew.

If you’re serious about blogging as a business, you a deeper level of control. 

For complete flexibility and customization options, go with WordPress.org. And if you want something easier than WordPress, yet still flexible, Wix and Squarespace are great drag-and-drop options. 

Free blogging platforms don’t give you the ability to customize to that extent. You may be able to change the colors and pick between a few different layouts. 

But, you can’t do much aside from that. 

That said, if you’re interested in personal or hobby blogging, you don’t need anything fancy. Free blogging platforms offer everything you need to quickly write content and share it online in just a few clicks. 

The different types of blogging platforms

There are several different types of blogging platforms. 

And the right one for you depends on what you want to do with your blog. 

So, before we dive into my top recommendations, let’s walk through the different types and what they’re used for. 

Free blogging platforms

Free blogging platforms are perfect for anyone interested in personal or hobby blogging. It’s by far the easiest way to write and publish content online quickly. 

However, free blogging platforms usually don’t let you make money with your content. You can’t make money with ads, use affiliate marketing, or sell your own products. 

Furthermore, they’re very limited in design flexibility and customization capabilities. 

You may even be stuck with random ads placed on your blog. And migrating your content from a free platform to another isn’t an easy process.

In the end, they’re not suitable for business bloggers or anyone interested in making money blogging at any point in the future. 

Website builders

Website builders are all-inclusive, drag-and-drop design tools that let you quickly build an entire website without touching any code. They’re easy to set up, simple to use, and include a full suite of blogging tools. 

However, they’re not free. Web hosting is included with your subscription, which is nice, and some even offer a free custom domain name for the first year. 

You also get a significant level of flexibility and customization compared to free blogging platforms. That said, some areas may be limited depending on the which option you select. 

This is a great place to start if you want to make money, but you’ve never built a website before. Just keep in mind that you sacrifice some flexibility in exchange for ease of use. 

Open-source blogging platforms

Open-source blogging platforms are free to download and install. They’re completely customizable from the inside out, making them perfect for serious bloggers and business owners interested in building a full-fledged custom website. 

However, there’s a steeper learning curve.

But once you get the hang of it, you’ll realize how flexible and customizable this type of blogging platform really is. You can create ecommerce stores, business websites, portfolios, service-based websites, interactive blogs, and more. 

With that said, you have to buy web hosting before you can install an open-source software. 

The good news is that most web hosts make this type of software easy to install with one-click installation. 

#1 – Wix Review — The best drag-and-drop blogging platform

If you’re looking for the easiest premium blogging platform, you should go with Wix. 

It’s an all-in-one website builder with more than 100 million users worldwide, making it one of the most popular options on the market. 

Wix is excellent for beginners interested in creating a full-fledged website with a blog included. And the intuitive drag-and-drop builder makes creating engaging blog content a breeze. 

Plus, it includes everything you need to make money with your new blog. 

With Wix, you get premium blogging features, including:

• 500 professional design templates
• Industry-leading SEO tools
• Rich-text editor
• Embed HTML codes
• Categories and hashtags
• Advanced search capabilities
• Writer and editor user roles
• Easy image editing
• Social media tools
• Visitor analytics

Wix is arguably the easiest and fastest way to get your professional website and blog running.

You can also take advantage of their ADI (advanced design intelligence) tool, which creates everything you need to get started in a matter of minutes. 

Simply answer a few questions, customize the design, add your website copy, update your images, and you’re ready to start blogging.  

Wix offers a free plan, which is excellent for building your site and getting everything ready to go. However, I highly recommend upgrading to a paid plan so you can remove Wix ads and connect a custom domain name. 

Paid plans start at $13/mo and increase depending on the features you need. Start for free.

#2 – WordPress.org Review — The best open-source blogging platform

WordPress.org is an open-source blogging platform with complete design flexibility. 

It also powers 38% of the entire internet, including the blog you’re reading right now, making it the most popular blogging platform on the market. 

And the best part? It’s free to download and install. 

However, you do need web hosting to be able to use it. This usually costs around $3 – $10 per month, so it’s the most affordable option on this list. 

With that said, it’s not as easy as Wix. There are a few more steps to get started, but the extra work is well worth it if you’re looking for complete design control and flexibility. 

With WordPress.org, you also get:

• 55,000+ plugins to extend the functionality of your site
• Thousands of free and premium themes
• The Gutenburg block editor
• Advanced user roles and permissions
• Powerful media management
• A massive community of experts
• Infinite design control

The best part is that you have 100% control over your website and blog. Plus, you aren’t tied down by rules and regulations. You can decide what to display, what you don’t reveal, and how you make money. 

There are countless ways to get started with WordPress.org. But I highly recommend starting with Bluehost. 

It’s the easiest way to get everything you need. 

They also include a free domain name for the first year. So, all you have to do is pick a hosting plan, snag your free domain, and use their one-click WordPress installation feature. 

#3 – Squarespace Review — The best blogging platform for visual-based businesses

Squarespace is an all-in-one website builder, like Wix. However, it’s famous for aesthetically pleasing templates, making it perfect for visual-based businesses like photographers, designers, and artists. 

For as great as the your published work looks on Squarespace, it’s a relatively effortless platform to use. Plus, it includes web hosting services and a free domain for the first year (if you choose an annual premium plan). 

It’s perfect for bloggers who want an easy, aesthetic way to share images, videos, and portfolio pieces, along with long-form and short-form blog posts. 

And with Squarespace, you create blog posts the same way you create pages. 

Once you learn how the drag-and-drop editor works, you know how to use the entire platform. You also get access to powerful blogging features, including:

• Free blogging templates to help you get started
• Five unique post layouts for your home and archive pages
• Categories, tags, and featured posts
• Built-in post scheduler
• Contributor permissions
• In-depth analytics
• SEO and social media tools
• Email marketing (additional fees)
• Expert customer service
• Mobile app

Squarespace isn’t as customizable as Wix or WordPress.org, but it’s perfect for creative bloggers and businesses who need to create captivating content quickly. 

Paid plans start at $12 per month and increase depending on the features you need.  Try Squarespace for free.

#4 – Medium Review — The best traditional blogging platform

Medium is a platform that helps readers and writers find new ideas, knowledge, and perspectives. It’s unique because there are no ads present on the platform. 

To date, they have over 120 million readers, making Medium an excellent way to get your content in front of more people. It’s great for sharing personal stories, perspectives, and getting your ideas out into the world. 

However, it’s not a great platform for making money as a blogger.

Medium does have a partner program that rewards writers for the amount of time paying members spend reading their content. Making a decent amount of money this way is going to be tricky.

Another thing: you can’t include your own call-to-actions in partner posts. So, you have to choose between making money and growing your email list. 

It’s still a great product, just not for revenue. I highly recommend treating Medium as an extension of your Wix, Squarespace, or WordPress.org blog. 

To get started, you can create a profile or a publication. Publications look more aesthetically pleasing, and you get more organization and display features. With publications, you can also send newsletters to your followers. 

Note: if you use Medium as an extension of your blog, make sure you use their import feature to add existing blog posts. This way, you can add content from your blog to Medium without creating duplicate content for SEO purposes. 

#5 – Blogger Review – The best for personal blogs

Blogger is one of the original blogging platforms. It’s been around since 1999.

It’s completely free to use with no paid plans, upsells, or anything like that. And it’s incredibly easy to use. This makes it perfect for personal or hobby bloggers looking to share their thoughts and ideas with the world. 

They have several free templates to choose from that govern how your blog looks. However, they’re not very customizable. 

You can change the colors and the layout of a few things, but that’s about it. 

The platform focuses solely on blogging, so that’s where the majority of their features lie. With Blogger, you get free access to essential features, including:

• A free SSL certificate and free domain mapping
• Google integrations
• Image storage with Google Photos
• Integrated ad campaigns
• Simple text editor

And while those features are great, the platform is seriously lacking in other departments, including customization, custom post types, and overall design. 

Essentially, it’s an old-school blogging platform. It works well for simple blogging, but you can’t create a full-fledged website, so I don’t recommend it if you want to build a brand and make money blogging. 

However, since Google’s acquisition in 2003, you can display Google Ads on your blog to make a little extra money on the side. 

But, it’s not a sustainable or long-term way to make a full-time income with your blog. 

Summary

The best blogging platform for you depends on where you want to take your blog. For personal and hobby bloggers, a free platform like Blogger or Medium is the perfect place to start. 

They’re easy to set up, incredibly simple, and the fastest way to start publishing online. Plus, you don’t have to pay anything to share your thoughts and ideas. 

However, if you want to make money and turn your blog into a business, free platforms won’t cut it. The easiest premium blogging platforms are Wix and Squarespace, making them perfect for beginners. 

However, if you want the ultimate level of control, go with WordPress.org hosted by Bluehost. 

The post The Best Blogging Platforms (In-Depth Review) appeared first on Neil Patel.

source https://neilpatel.com/blog/best-blogging-platforms/

The Best CRM Software (In-Depth Review)

Disclosure: This content is reader-supported, which means if you click on some of our links that we may earn a commission.

Without customers, your business wouldn’t exist. 

It’s critical to understand how your customers behave and what they want from you. Doing so makes their experience better.

And helps you generate more money. 

The best customer relationship management (CRM) software helps streamline, simplify, and improve your business processes to create better experiences for the one thing your business revolves around — your customers. 

With countless CRM software options to choose from, it’s easy to feel paralyzed.

To help sort things out, I reviewed the top CRM software available and put together a list criteria to help you make an informed final decision.

The Top 5 Options for the Best CRM Software

1. Hubspot – Best free CRM software
2. Salesforce – Best CRM software for versatility
3. Zoho CRM – Best for small to midsize businesses
4. Freshsales – Best CRM for sales teams
5. Creatio CRM – Best enterprise-grade CRM solution

How to Choose the Best CRM Software for You

With so many options and types to choose from, finding the best CRM software for your business can feel like looking for a four-leaf clover.

Start with this. All of these products have been built to respond to problems that businesses face every day.

Yes, there are a lot of parts to CRM software, but each has a purpose.

You know the problems you face. And by reaching out to your customer service agents, sales reps, IT team, and anyone who will be using the CRM software, you can get a rich picture of their daily challenges.

There is CRM software that will help everyone at your organization make the most out of every customer relationship.

Finding it is a matter of understanding where your company is, and where it wants to go.

Business Size

The size of your business plays a role in which CRM software is best for you. If you have separate departments for marketing, sales, IT, and customer service, you need more advanced functions than a business with five employees. 

Furthermore, you need to consider who’s going to manage the software. Choosing and paying for software isn’t the same as using it to its full potential. 

You have to set it up and take advantage of its features for the investment to be worth it. 

For small teams, it may be a collaborative effort of everyone pitching in. However, large teams may have dedicated employees to set everything up and maintain the software moving forward. 

The size of your business also plays a role in how much the software is going to cost. The more user seats you need, the more expensive the software. 

Your Challenges

What’s not working? What could be working better?

Consider what systems you want to streamline and improve. It may help to think about current inefficiencies and how a CRM can help. 

Typically, CRM software helps with sales, marketing, IT, and customer service. Which of those do you want to improve, and do you have the capacity to set everything up and maintain it?

There are specific CRM solutions for particular industries.

These tend to be more expensive, but if they are the right fit for your situation, it’s worth it. Teams will have to spend less time configuring such purpose-built CRM software, which is an ongoing savings. 

Basic CRM Features

Most CRMs include a basic set of standard features. The CRM you choose should include them as well.

While the specifics of each feature vary from software to software, there should be a system in place to help you handle things like:

• Contact and lead management
• Document sharing and storage
• Workflow automation
• Interaction tracking
• Mobile access

Look for these core CRM features before making any final decisions. It’s probably also a good idea to watch some videos of how these users manage these features.

Something like contact management is handled differently in each platform. Which one fits best with the way your teams work?

Advanced CRM Features

It’s also important to consider advanced CRM features that can have a big impact on your business.

The ability to automate routine workflows, process payments, and send invoices can save countless hours from every employee’s day.

Really rich automation capabilities are only available with high-tier plans. There’s definitely an added cost, but what about the benefit?

In the end, having advanced features for marketing automation and lead scoring can really drive revenue. Is the juice worth the squeeze?

Also, note that these advanced features are not distributed the same way by vendors. One may offer the high-end tools you need as part of a mid-level plan.

Third-Party Integrations

To really streamline and automate your business processes, your CRM tool needs to play well with the tools you’re already using to run your business.

Make a list of the tools you use and double-check to make sure your CRM integrates with them. I’m talking about:

• Email platforms
• Social media tools
• Internal communication software
• Customer service tools
• Calling/video chat software
• Shopping cart (for ecommerce)
• Contract/proposal software
• Connectors (i.e., Zapier)
• Analytics tools
• Calendar

Once you have your list, you can use it to narrow down your choices to the right CRM software. You can also use it when speaking with a sales team to make sure they offer everything you need. 

The Different Types of CRM Software

There are three different types of CRM software. The most common type is operational. And thankfully, companies are integrating more features from the other types of software into operational CRM systems. 

Doing so helps minimize the need for businesses to have three separate pieces of software. 

Before diving into my top recommendations, let’s talk about these different types and what they mean. 

Operational

Operational CRMs help businesses of all sizes handle business processes and enhance the lead generation systems they have in place. The idea is that streamlining your operational processes helps your business provide better customer experiences. 

There are four types of operational CRMs, including:

• Marketing
• Sales
• Customer Service
• IT

These are traditionally what people think of when they hear CRM. So, all of the recommendations on this list fall under this category. 

Analytical

Analytical CRMs help businesses gather, analyze, and leverage data collected from their customers. Essentially, this type of CRM software helps turn large data sets into valuable information you can use to improve the customer experience. 

The recommendations on this list include a few basic analytical features.

But there are certainly more robust CRM tools out there for collecting and analyzing customer data, especially for enterprise businesses with a lot of customer information. 

Collaborative

Collaborative CRMs make it easy for businesses to share everything they learn about their customers using operational and analytical CRM software. 

Essentially, this type of software lets team members quickly pass along lead, contact, and customer information from one department to another. 

Doing so helps track interactions between customers and your business as well as identify your customers’ preferred communication channels. 

Both of those things combined help improve customer experiences. 

Most of the recommendations on this list offer multiple operational CRM solutions that seamlessly integrate, making this type of collaboration easy. 

However, there are better systems out there if you’re looking for something more powerful. 

#1 – Hubspot Review — The Best Free CRM Software

If you’re in the sales or marketing industry, you’ve probably read Hubspot’s blog or taken one of their free certification courses. However, they also offer a robust and free CRM software to streamline your customer relationship management process. 

With Hubspot, you can gain unprecedented insight into how your audience behaves. 

Need to monitor when contacts open your emails so you can optimize your open rates? No problem. Maybe you want to see how a contact behaves on your website. With Hubspot, it’s easy. 

Furthermore, they offer a wide variety of solutions, depending on your role within your company. 

These position-specific solutions include sales, marketing, customer service, operations, and owners. 

The free CRM plan includes a robust set of features, including:

• Contact management
• Email scheduling
• Deal pipelines
• Meeting scheduler
• 1-1 live chat
• Contact website activity
• Store, track, and manage tasks
• Document sharing
• VoIP calling

These features are hard to beat on any other free plans on this list. However, Hubspot’s paid plans are well worth their price as well. 

The Starter Plan starts at $40 per month, paid annually. However, if you want to bundle all of Hubspot’s CRM software, you can get starter access to all four for $50 per month if you commit to a 12-month contract. 

So, for $10 extra dollars a month, you also get software specialized for marketing, sales, and customer service.  

However, keep in mind these prices are based on 1,000 contacts. The price increases for every additional 1,000 contacts you have. 

Sign up for a free plan to get started with Hubspot today.

#2 – Salesforce Review — The Best CRM Software for Versatility

Whether you’re a small business owner or a sales, marketing, IT, or customer support team, Salesforce has the perfect CRM solution. Known for its versatility, they offer specialized software that adapts to meet your needs. 

More than 150,000 businesses, including T Mobile, Adidas, and Yeti, rely on Salesforce to help them build strong relationships with their customers. 

They also offer specialized solutions for 14 different industries, including:

• Financial services
• Healthcare
• Manufacturing
• Consumer goods
• Energy
• Communications
• Nonprofits

The system is so versatile because you can pick and choose which apps you need to build a complete CRM solution customized to match your business. 

From marketing automation and ecommerce sales to call-center software and self-service portals, Salesforce is dedicated to providing everything you need for unprecedented customer relationships. 

Their business plans include:

1. Essentials — $25/user per month (basic sales and support)
2. Sales Professional — $75/user per month (complete sales solution)
3. Support Professional — $75/user per month (complete service solution)
4. Pardot Growth — $1,250 per month for up to 10,000 contacts (marketing automation)

However, you can add additional features and applications depending on what you need. They also offer other plans for sales, customer service, commerce, and marketing CRM packages with varying features. 

Start your free trial to take Salesforce for a test drive today.

#3 – Zoho CRM Review — The Best for Small to Midsize Businesses

Unlike the other options on this list, Zoho CRM is an all-in-one solution. There aren’t additional modules to look through for different departments or anything like that. This makes it an excellent option for small to midsize businesses.

They also have an extensive network of 40 other business tools. So, if you’re using Zoho software already, integration with Zoho CRM is seamless. 

Plus, they have a worldwide network of over 150,000+ customers (including Netflix and Bose) in 180 countries, so you know you’re in good hands. 

Furthermore, Zoho offers a free forever plan with up to three users. It includes essential features like lead management, document sharing, task management, workflow rules, and a mobile application. 

However, their paid plans are affordable as well, and they include advanced CRM features like:

• Real-time sales signals and customer notifications
• Blueprint business management for both on and offline processes
• Prospect scoring capabilities
• Unique sales pipelines
• Mass emails
• Inventory management
• An AI assistant
• Advanced customizations

The cheapest paid plan starts at $12 per user per month, making it extremely affordable for small businesses. 

Sign up for a free 15-day trial to see if Zoho CRM is right for you. 

Note: Zoho also recently launched a sales-centric CRM specifically for small businesses. It’s called Bigin, and it includes a robust free plan if you’d like to try it out. Bigin’s paid plans are $7 per user per month. 

#4 – Freshsales Review — The Best CRM for Sales Teams

Unlike the other options on this list, Freshsales is specifically built for sales teams and lead management. From cold leads to customers, Freshsales helps you make better relationships while saving time with automation. 

Furthermore, this CRM helps you find the best leads, get in touch with them via their preferred method, and close the sale. 

And Freshworks includes a built-in email and phone system to help simplify the process. 

They have a customer base of over 40,000 businesses, including some big names like Dyson and Best Western. So, despite being newer to the industry, they’re not inexperienced by any means. 

With Freshworks, you get powerful sales-based features, including:

• Lead, contact, account, and deal management
• Tasks and appointment management
• Merge or clone records
• Advanced conversation views
• Lead scoring
• Time-based workflows
• Sales pipelines
• Team inboxes and email forwarding
• Email scheduling, templates, and alerts
• Website visitor tracking
• iOS and Android mobile apps

Aside from an impressive set of features, they also offer industry-specific solutions for 15 different industries, including retail, ecommerce, manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, and more. 

Their free forever plan includes access for an unlimited number of users with limited features. However, it’s a great way to try it out before investing. 

Freshsales’ paid plans are more robust, yet still affordable for businesses of all sizes. Their premium plans include:

1. Blossom — $12/user per month (for small teams)
2. Garden — $25/user per month (for growing teams)
3. Estate — $45/user per month (for large teams)
4. Forest — $79/user per month (for enterprises)

Sign up for a free 21-day trial to see if Freshsales is right for you and your sales team today.

#5 – Creatio Review — The Best Enterprise-grade CRM Software

While some of the other CRM software on this list includes an enterprise plan, you may find them limiting if you’re managing a large operation. However, Creatio is an enterprise-grade CRM software built with businesses like yours in mind. 

They offer specific CRM solutions for sales, marketing, and customer service teams.

Marketing Creatio gives enterprise businesses everything they need to streamline their multichannel marketing campaigns and manage incoming leads. It includes features like:

• Visual campaign designer
• Website behavior tracking and segmentation
• Advanced trigger campaigns
• Personalized email marketing
• Event tracking and response management

Pricing depends on the number of contacts and the number of emails per contact. 

Sales Creatio is perfect for large sales teams taking over after marketing hands them over. It’s an end-to-end sales management platform built to simplify the process and save you time. 

It includes a wide range of features, including:

• Opportunity management
• Customer profiles and buying behavior insight
• Field sales management
• Performance and operations

Pricing starts at $30 per user per month. 

Lastly, Service Creatio is for customer service teams interested in streamlining their processes and creating excellent customer experiences from start to finish. It includes features, like:

• Account and contact management
• Case and knowledge management
• Omnichannel communications
• Service catalog
• Contact center

Pricing starts at $45 per user per month. 

You can bundle all three CRM solutions if you need to. And you can use their online pricing calculator to estimate the total cost. 

Get started with a free trial to see if Creatio is right for you. 

Summary

Hubspot, Salesforce, and Freshsales are my top recommendations for most businesses. Each one offers a wide range of features suitable for teams from all departments, including sales, marketing, and customer service. 

Furthermore, they’re all affordable, easy to set up, and easy to use.

However, the best CRM software for you depends on your business’s size and the features you need. So, use the criteria we talked about above as you go through the process of making your final decision. 

Which CRM software do you use?

The post The Best CRM Software (In-Depth Review) appeared first on Neil Patel.

source https://neilpatel.com/blog/best-crm-software/

How to Use Instagram Shopping to Drive Product Sales

Have you used shops on Instagram? With over a billion active users and growing, Instagram may already be one of your favorite places to promote your e-commerce store. However, lots of opportunities exist for marketing on the channel, so it can be a great place to build a follower base and get the word out about your products and brand.

What if you could take passive interaction to the next level and actually buy and sell directly from the platform? That’s possible with Instagram shopping. This can be enticing for Instagram users and e-commerce shops who want to keep their interaction, from discovery to sale, right there on Instagram itself.

What Is an Instagram Shop?

Instagram shops are an option for Instagram account holders who have e-commerce brands to sell directly from the Instagram platform.

They provide a way for Instagram users to interact and shop with brands they love, find new brands they might like, and purchase through the Instagram app.

An Instagram shop exists like a mini e-commerce store, within Instagram, as an extension of your brand’s page. As a brand owner, you can build collections that are customizable and reflective of your style and perspective.

Shops can choose to allow purchasing directly from the app, using Facebook Pay, or they use their Instagram shop to point to an off-site e-commerce store. Either way, they can build a more interactive shopping experience for their users.

How Does Instagram Shopping Work?

Instagram Shopping is a pretty simple process for Instagram users. The whole idea of this feature is to make things more enticing, so users spend more time on the app, checking out the shops they love, as well as discovering new brands.

To find shops you want to explore or buy from, go to the little shopping icon that looks like a shopping bag on the app: 

From there, you will see shops from brands you already follow, as well as some that are recommended based on your interactions on Instagram. You can also check out “Editor’s Picks” to see different categories, such as Gift Guides, and to explore collections and other recommendations.

If you click “Browse Shops,” you’ll see a listing of brands you already follow who have shops on Instagram. This can be a great place to start when you’re exploring because you probably already have an interest in the products and may have even purchased from them in the past.

Once you click on a shop, you’ll see the products and collections they have available.

From there, you can learn more or choose to buy, just like you would at an e-commerce site.

How to Set Up an Instagram Shop

To set up a shop on Instagram for your brand, you must have an Instagram Business account, and you must be eligible. According to Instagram, eligibility includes but is not limited to:

• Operating in a supported market (dependent on your location)
• Having an e-commerce website from which you sell products

Remember, an Instagram shop is an extension of your e-commerce store, not necessarily a replacement for it.

You will then have to connect your Facebook account. More later on how those two are connected and why it matters for your Instagram Shopping account.

You then follow the steps to set up your account, load your product images, and “turn on shopping.”

Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you go through those technical steps:

• Use high-quality, editorial images for your products and collections: Think of your Instagram shop as a type of interactive catalog. Be selective about the images you are using for your products. Make sure they stand out and show lots of detail.
• Have all your product information on hand: Again, thinking about this as a catalog, you will need to enter all the descriptive information about each product, including prices, colors, sizes, flavors, types, etc. You’ll also need information about shipping and other details. Keep it all at the ready before you dive in.
• Get ready to tag: After getting your Instagram shop set up, the last step Instagram recommends is to start tagging. When you upload an image, select “Tag Products” and type in the name of the product you want to tag to that post. You will be able to do this in Instagram Stories as well.

Benefits of Having an Instagram Shop

Why would brand managers want to take the time to set up shops on Instagram? First, let’s look at some numbers. According to Instagram, 60% of people interviewed said they discover new products on the app. Facebook says 70% of people referred to as shopping enthusiasts turn to Instagram to shop, and 36% of all Instagram users consider shopping to be a hobby of theirs.

The best reason to set up shops on Instagram is to tap into that enthusiasm. Think of Instagram Shopping as the trendiest mall from back in the day, with eager buyers walking around and window shopping. You want to be there with your brand too, right?

Here are some more benefits of having a shop on Instagram:

• It’s free: Yes, you can set up your Instagram shop for free. The only fees associated would be a selling fee when customers place an order and the fee for any ads you use to promote your products or shop.
• It’s another online storefront: Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, they say, and that applies to online shopping too. If a hiccup occurs with one platform, you’re already set up somewhere else.
• It’s a mobile catalog: Instagram has designed these shops to be very clean and scannable. They are easy to peruse and to get an overall idea of a brand’s look, as well as to dig in and learn more about the products. For this reason, you can think of shops on Instagram as a kind of mobile catalog. You may even find yourself sending people there to get a feel for what you sell, just because it’s so easy to scroll through.
• It’s a way to build your following: As we talked about earlier, people are going on Instagram looking to shop. Setting up your shop there is a prime way to draw buyers who are ready to make a purchase, as well as to build a following for your Instagram account (which probably supports your overall social media marketing strategy).

Instagram Shopping vs. Facebook Shops

You may be wondering how shops on Instagram compare with shops on Facebook. While they are different platforms, they are both under the Facebook umbrella.

Remember that corporate Facebook owns Instagram, which means Facebook powers Instagram Shopping. To set up your Instagram shop, you will need to link to your Facebook account, and, as mentioned, payment is processed through Facebook Pay.

Should you set up an Instagram shop and a Facebook shop? Here are a couple of considerations to help you decide:

• Link easily: Because you need Facebook to launch the Instagram shop, it may be worth having products on both platforms. You can use the same products and collections on each if that makes sense for your target market and brand.
• Consider demographics: Your target market may spend more time on Instagram than on Facebook. If that’s the case, you’ll want to make sure you set up an Instagram shop. If your target market straddles both the demographics of Facebook and Instagram, you may want to set up a shop on each.

Submitting and Receiving Payment for Instagram Shopping Products

How do you go about actually buying and selling with Instagram Shopping? A big part of this question is how money is exchanged.

Remember you can choose to have your products point to your e-commerce site. Buyers will then be directed to your website, in a browser within the Instagram app, rather than processing the purchase through the Instagram platform.

However, if you want to save buyers that step, you can set up payment options to allow the transaction through Instagram. When you set up your shop, you’ll need to link to Facebook Pay. We noted above the relationship between Facebook and Instagram. Facebook Pay is how you receive payments for purchases made.

When you purchase something from shops on Instagram, you’ll need to submit your credit card, debit card, or PayPal information to use Facebook Pay to finalize the transaction.

How to Promote Your Instagram Shop

Once you have an Instagram shop up and running, you’ll want to find ways to promote it and draw potential customers to your new location. Here are some tips for achieving that:

• Launch timely collections: When you create collections or groupings of products to showcase in your shop, think about the browsing buyers first and what they are searching for right now. Instagram recommends thinking about seasons, holidays, or pop culture moments to create collections that connect with and attract buyers.
• Make it easy for shoppers: When you create posts and stories, make sure to choose the “Tag Product” option to link directly to your shop products. Also, Facebook recommends adding calls-to-action in your captions to remind buyers of what to do. Another recommendation is to update your bio with shopping information.
• Invest in ads: Want to reach even more people with your Instagram shop? You could consider launching an ad on Instagram with clickable tags that draw people to your shop.

Alternatives to Instagram Shopping

There could be a few reasons why a shop on Instagram is not the right platform for your brand, or maybe you want to explore other shop options to find a better fit. Some of those reasons may be:

• It’s not the right demographic: Yes, Instagram is wildly popular, but not everyone is shopping there. If the target market of your brand is not tech-savvy, doesn’t tend to use Instagram, or prefers not to shop on new platforms, you may not want to set up an Instagram shop.
• There aren’t enough products: Shops on Instagram showcase collections of products well, allowing brands to launch or promote groups of products. If you are only selling one item, it may not be worth your time to set up a shop. However, even one product, if photographed and promoted well, could be popular there.
• They aren’t physical products: You do need to sell a physical product. Digital products or services are not sellable with the app.
• It’s not in the right location: As mentioned earlier, you do need to operate in a location where Instagram Shopping is available. If you don’t, you’ll need to find an alternative.

In these cases, or if you’re just looking for more customization or wider tools, you may want to choose an alternative to Instagram Shopping. Examples may include:

• Like2Buy: With Like2Buy, you can build shoppable solutions, as well as create other calls-to-action, such as requesting email addresses of potential customers.
• Yotpo: In addition to several e-commerce marketing tools, Yotpo offers an Instagram integration tool.
• FourSixty: Advertising a design-centric aesthetic, FourSixty provides Instagram marketing tools, including shoppable galleries and scheduling.

Conclusion

Shops on Instagram allow you to interact with your followers (and new buyers!), in a seamless way. You can create collections just in time for a season or holiday and promote your products to an audience that is eager to buy.

This feature allows brand owners to sell on Instagram dynamically. While it may not be the only solution you need, it can be a great addition to your Instagram sales strategy.

Will you be shopping and selling directly on the Instagram app? Or do you prefer a more traditional e-commerce platform?

The post How to Use Instagram Shopping to Drive Product Sales appeared first on Neil Patel.

source https://neilpatel.com/blog/instagram-shopping/

The 5 Best Marketing Automation Companies of 2021

You could get a marketing automation tool and try to figure it out yourself.

Or you could get a marketing automation company to do everything.

Look, marketing automation gets crazy complicated.

Lead routing, lead tracking, campaign measurement, all the emails and landing pages, lead nurturing, dozens of segmentation lists, it goes on and on.

Not to mention a deep integration with your CRM which has to work flawlessly.

Your entire marketing program depends on getting marketing automation right.

The best sales teams already work with top Salesforce partners to get everything set up from the beginning.

It’s about time that marketing teams followed their example.

Don’t just look for a marketing automation tool, find a marketing automation company (agency) that can help you with everything.

The 5 Best Marketing Automation Companies

Some of us in that marketing automation companies are: 

1. Neil Patel Digital – Best for Content Marketing Automation
2. LeadMD – Best for Tech Stack Integration
3. CS2 Marketing – Best for On-call Marketing Operations
4. Bluewolf – Best for Salesforce Automation
5. Perkuto – Best for Marketo Automation

Let’s dive into each.

#1 Neil Patel Digital – Best for Content Marketing Automation

If there’s one digital advertising channel that cuts across all others, including automation, it has to be content marketing. 

I’m not here to remind you that content is king. You already know! 

Even with marketing automation, content marketing drives everything. You need the right content in the right emails to keep leads moving down the funnel.

Tons of billion dollar startups have built their sales and marketing process around content. And it works beautifully.

And it’s an area my team at Neil Patel Digital shines the brightest. 

How? 

We’ve rolled out content programs for the entire sales cycle across many Fortune 500 brands.

I truly believe we’re one of the best companies at content, period.

If you’d like content marketing and marketing automation working together seamlessly, we should chat. 

#2 LeadMD – Best for Tech Stack Integration

Marketing automation frees you (and relevant people on your team) from mundane tasks. 

For example, say someone signs up to download a whitepaper on your landing page. 

They fill out the form fields, your CRM collects this data, creates tags based on the info provided, and segments them into relevant email lists. 

That email sequence could include 180 days or branching email logic based on their actions and sales stage.

For this to work well, you’ll need tight integrations between your:

• Marketing automation tool
• CRM tool
• Landing page tool
• Software trials and accounts
• Ecommerce accounts
• Subscription settings
• Customer support tools
• Deduplication tools

And dozens of small tools that impact your users.

If that sounds like a lot, that’s because it is.

These systems get extremely complicated very quickly.

You’ll need a team that knows how to get everything working together. One broken link in the chain could dump thousands of leads by accident, costing you hundreds of thousands of dollars. I’ve seen it happen countless times.

LeadMD specializes in setting up these types of integrations:

LeadMD is the go-to marketing automation company for integrating your tech stack. 

If you feel really good about the rest of your marketing strategy and just need help with getting all the infrastructure working correctly, reach out to them.

#3 CS2 Marketing – Best for On-call Marketing Operations

Once you get your marketing automation fully implemented, that’s not the end.

New marketing operations projects come up all the time.

A hot new campaign needs to get added to your automation. Sales wants to tweak the lead scoring or MQL definition. IT changes one of your tools and you need to re-implement that part of the stack.

Lots of projects (large and small) will come up.

One option is to hire a full-time marketing operations person. That’ll easily cost $100K fully loaded with benefits, taxes, and marketing rate compensation.

Or you can find a marketing automation company that specializes in scaling up and down as you need them.

That’s exactly what Cs2 Marketing does.

First, you can sign up for a contract to get ongoing consulting. This is super valuable to make sure you’re not accidentally lighting your whole marketing stack on fire.

Then, when you have a project some up, they have a whole team that can execute it for you.

This is perfect for mid-size companies that need to keep every dollar focused on customer acquisition for as long as possible.

#4 Bluewolf – Best for Salesforce Automation

I’m going to say something controversial.

Oftentimes, how your marketing automation tool integrates with Salesforce is more important than the marketing tool itself.

After all, your business lives and dies on your CRM, which is usually Salesforce.

One way to get everything working right is to work backwards. Get your CRM dialed, then force your marketing automation tool to work the same way.

So before jumping into a deep marketing automation tool implementation, consider getting a top CRM agency to help with Salesforce.

For this, check out Bluewolf.

Bluewolf is an IBM company, and that alone speaks volumes about this agency’s reputation. They mostly serve enterprise brands and are prepared to handle anything that you can throw at them.

Bluewolf is also global. They have about 24 offices spread across different continents. 

#5 Perkuto – Best for Marketo Automation

Marketo is a one powerful tool. If you’re already using it and want to go really deep with your implementation, check out Perkuto: 

You could say that Perkuto is THE top-most Marketo expert, having achieved the “Marketo Engage” status and works with a team of over 50 marketing automation strategists and hardcore engineers.

If it can be done in Marketro, Perkuto can make it happen.

I’d definitely reach out to them if you have a Marketo implementation that’s gone haywire and you need serious expertise to fix it all. In those cases, you want a top expert to get you back on track. They’re worth every penny.

5 Characteristics That Make a Great Marketing Automation Company

When looking at marketing automation companies, what should you prioritize?

What are the red flags?

What signs tell you that someone is one of the best?

I start by looking for these characteristics.

1. ROI Before Tech

Some engineers and infrastructure folks love tech for tech’s sake.

Not all, but some do.

In marketing, that’s super dangerous.

You need a marketing automation implementation that generates real ROI. You spend $X. It needs to generate more than $X. That’s the whole point of marketing.

Otherwise, it’s just a waste of time.

When looking at marketing automation companies, they should have an extreme focus on driving ROI. It should be the lens that they filter every recommendation through.

Even better, they should talk about revenue growth and ROI naturally. You shouldn’t feel like you have to push them here.

2. Experience With Companies Bigger Than You

When working with any marketing automation company, make sure you’re not the biggest customer.

The last thing you want is for a vendor to patch your implementation together because it’s the first time they’re handled your complex use-case.

You don’t want the marketing automation company to learn on your dime. Your implementation will suffer. Tech debt will pile up and you’ll end up paying to fix it later.

Ask the company for case studies and a list of clients in a similar industry as you. Many of them should be larger. If not, treat it as a red flag. 

3. Deep Experience With Your Marketing Tech Stack

In any marketing automation tool, there are dozens of different ways to set up any workflow or feature.

You don’t want it to just work, You want it set up so it has that perfect balance between scalability and flexibility.

That’s not easy to do.

To know what option is best, it takes a lot of trial and error with every tool. And experience across dozens of clients and implementations.

So even if a marketing automation company has a ton of experience, make sure they have experience with your marketing tech stack.

Otherwise, keep looking.

4. Expensive

A marketing automation (and CRM) implementation is one area you do not want to cut corners.

We’re talking about foundational infrastructure that routes every lead of your business.

Any leaks means you’ll lose serious money.

And sense these systems get extremely complicated, it’s easy for stuff to fall through the cracks.

So when you’re shopping around with different companies, look at low prices as a red flag. The experienced folks will know their value and charge accordingly.

Spend the money to get your marketing automation set up correctly. It’ll instantly pay for itself.

5. A Desire to Coach

As you start talking with companies, the best ones will have an innate desire to coach you and your team.

Even if they handle 100% of the initial implementation, they know that your team needs to manage and operate it all.

Communicating best practices, guiding your team, and empathetic coaching will make sure that your implementation stays clean for years to come.

On any given call, you should feel like you’re learning. That’s a good sign they’ll continue to coach your team throughout the entire implementation.

What to Expect from a Great Marketing Automation Company

Once you start to reach out to marketing automation companies, expect to go through these steps.

1. Filling out the contact form

Since marketing automation projects are major rollouts, expect an in-depth sales process before getting started.

The marketing automation also needs to do a deep dive on your needs before being able to come up with even a general price range.

Look for the contact form of their website and use that to get started.

2. The discovery call

After filing out the contact form, you should receive a reply pretty quickly.

Any great team will be crazy responsive to any new prospects. Expect a reply within 24 hours.

If you don’t get a reply, that might be a sign that you’re a poor fit for that company. For example, the companies that specialize in enterprise clients will probably ignore smaller startups that need a basic implementation for a marketing team of 2-3 people. It’s just too small for them. In these cases, they typically don’t respond at all.

So if you don’t get a response and you’re a smaller company, look for folks that feature clients on their site that are closer to your size.

Once you get a reply, you’ll usually get asked to jump on a discovery call. There won’t be much pitching on this call. Instead, the marketing automation company will want to learn as much about you as possible. They’ll ask you things like:

• Budget
• Timelines
• Your marketing tech stack
• Company size
• Key stakeholders
• Hard requirements for the project

I recommend that you sit down and come up with clear answers to these items before the discovery call. That will keep the process moving quickly.

The clearer you can be with the partner, the more likely they’ll be able to deliver what you want.

3. The Proposal

Depending on the complexity of your implementation, you might have several calls to scope out the full project.

Once everything has been clarified, expect to get a proposal that breaks down the full cost, timelines, and deliverables of the project.

If you wince at the price, it’s probably in the right range. Implementation fees for CRMs and marketing automation tools are pretty high.

One other thing, really double and triple check all the requirements with your team. Look for holes and items that you missed in the spec. Changing requirements later will get really difficult. Best to get any changes added to the proposal now.

Also ask the company how they handle mid-project scope changes in the event that it happens. Usually, they’ll have an hourly rate that they charge for any additional work.

4. Sign and get started

Once you’re ready, sign the proposals and get the project going.

After everything is signed, the marketing automation company usually takes the lead. As long as you’re responsive on your side, things usually stay moving without you having to push on them.

The initial process usually starts with:

• Introductions to the whole implementation team
• A kick-off call
• Scheduling for regular check-ins
• Calls with internal experts to go through all details

Are the Top Marketing Automation Companies Worth it?

I believe so.

Any serious marketing team will need a fully operational marketing automation tool.

And marketing automation tools have gotten so complicated that it’s unwise to muddle through them yourself.

You want an experienced team to roll out your tool the right way. It costs a lot more upfront but it’ll save you a ton of money in the long run.

I was speaking to a VP of Marketing the other day. He worked at a top-tier marketing team, managing hundreds of thousands of leads. He turned to me and said “You know, the other day, we discovered 100,000 leads that got lost in our marketing automation tool. They were just sitting there. For like a year.”

That’s nuts! Think of all the lost revenue.

And it happens all the time.

Look around, reach out to a few experts in this space, and get it done right.

The post The 5 Best Marketing Automation Companies of 2021 appeared first on Neil Patel.

source https://neilpatel.com/blog/marketing-automation-companies/

Best EMR Systems

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In the fight to stay organized, healthcare professionals have an uphill battle.

Billing is more complicated than the human genome.

Government regulations add extra steps to every task.

Decisions are time-sensitive.

Small mistakes can have serious consequences.

On top of all of this, everyone’s busy. There’s no extra time to search for a patient record or reorder an incorrect prescription.

The best electronic medical records (EMR) systems can simplify a lot of the complex challenges today’s providers face.

They are not a silver bullet by any means, but finding a product that works for your practice will make you more efficient today and better prepared for tomorrow.

Here are the top EMR systems that are helping practices improve care, reduce burnout, and make every day less stressful for everyone who walks in the door.

The Top Four Options for EMR Systems

1. CareCloud – Best for growing specialty practices
2. athenahealth – Best for switching to a new system
3. SimplePractice – Best for health and wellness providers
4. Kareo – Best for independent practices

The Different Types of EMR Systems

Not so long ago, EMR systems were the tool for turning paper charts into digital resources. They made patient data easier to access and track.

People still need these functions, but today you are going to see very few standalone EMR systems. Instead, you will find EMR systems will come as part of a larger electronic health records (EHR) system.

EMR vs EHR Systems

Here’s the key difference between the two:

• Electronic medical records are a digitized version of a patient’s chart.
• Electronic health records include information from all doctors involved with a patient’s care.

With EMR systems, people within the organization could access a patient’s chart. With EHR systems, on the other hand, medical records can be shared between multiple providers, labs, and insurers.

This ability to share complete EHRs is critical in today’s healthcare environment. 

You may already know the reasons why EMR systems are being phased out in favor of EHRs. I’m not going to go in-depth here, though you can certainly read about it if digging into healthcare legislation blows your hair back (see specifically the HITECH Act).

Suffice it to say, new laws and changes in technology have made EHR systems essential.

This can be confusing though. 

Many providers still need to digitize and organize the work of their office. EMR systems are perfect for that, and so there’s still a lot of online search for the term.

And because people are asking the internet for EMR systems, you’ll see vendors offering “EMR systems” and directing you to their EHR, or calling their products EMR/EHR solutions.

Some vendors seem to use EHR and EMR interchangeably. Likely, they will continue to do so as long as people are searching for EMRs.

For all the haziness and craziness of the situation, providers who need an EMR system today are really just looking at two major product categories:

1. EHR systems
2. Practice management suites

Let’s go through both of these so you can figure out which one is going to help you get your practice to where it needs to be.

I’m still going to talk about EMR systems, but just know that it is going to come as part of a solution with a different name.

Electronic Health Records Systems

EHR systems include everything providers need from traditional EMR systems to take their practice online. They can digitize charts, connect them to schedules, and keep each patient visit as efficient as possible.

For practices looking to go paperless, these products can be extremely helpful. They will help you turn file cabinets into searchable digital drives. This saves so much time for doctors, nurses, and staff who can quickly access everything they need from any device.

In addition to tracking patient records, EHR systems help with:

• Billing
• Insurance
• E-prescribing
• Lab work and tests

In this sense, an EHR “follows the patient,” giving all parties involved with a patient’s care the information they need to keep the process moving forward.

Most often, you will find EHR software offered as one part of a complete array of tools for managing a practice. Vendors like Kareo and athenahealth offer stand-alone EHR systems, which can be a great starting point for making the transition online.

Practice Management Suites

A practice management suite is designed to centralize all of the administrative, clinical, financial, and legal processes within a single platform.

In addition to EMR/EHR capabilities, they include:

• Advanced reporting
• Patient engagement
• Revenue cycle management
• Telehealth

As robust as these solutions are, they are not just for large organizations. In fact, these products work really well in the small practice setting. 

With limited staff, solo providers simply don’t have the time to manage 7 or 8 different tools to interact with each patient. Practice management suites are highly customizable, allowing providers to unify and trim down their workflow to its essential elements.

Small practices also benefit from the rich reporting features. 

Dashboards and data visualization tools help providers understand trends in clinical data. This can help practices decrease wait times, improve patient engagement, hit regulatory goals, and better manage risk.

How to Choose the Best EMR System for You

The right EMR system provides support for overburdened staff by streamlining critical administrative tasks.

The wrong EMR system can make things worse.

According to a study from the American Medical Association, the average family physician spends 86 minutes per day doing administrative tasks after they leave work.

This so-called “pajama time” has become an awful reality for every physician stuck using a well-intentioned but poorly-performing EMR system. 

And it’s not just doctors who are affected by this. Nurses, staff, pharmacists, and—most of all—patients suffer the consequences of inefficient systems.

Just knowing which solutions are popular is not enough. Sometimes a good system is implemented poorly or deployed in a place where it doesn’t fit.

So, how do you pick an EMR system that actually benefits employees and patients?

There’s no easy answer, but by following these three steps you can start to hone in on the right product.

Understand the features you really need

There are an astonishing number of features included with every EMR solution. Most individuals will never use the majority of them.

It’s not surprising, given that these systems are built to work for different types of doctors in a wide variety of clinical settings.

Go into your search with a list of must-have features and functionality. Every product is going to come with digitized charts and patient tracking, but what does that mean for your practice?

In other words, which system has the features that will help receptionists, nurses, doctors, and patients get from A to B? How will each set of features map to your actual patient flows?

A to B is an over-simplification, but also not. One of the most common complaints about EMR systems is that they take too long to accomplish routine tasks.

Ordering a prescription or procedure shouldn’t require scrolling through hundreds of irrelevant options. If a solution includes e-prescribing, ensure that it can be customized to actually save time.

The more A to B tasks your EMR system streamlines, the more time all staff have to spend engaging with patients.

Consider a specialty option

A welcome trend is the growing number of EMR systems tailor-made for specialty practices.

I like these because they solve two problems associated with traditional, general-use EMRs. 

One, providers get exactly the tools they need instead of a platform freighted with unnecessary features.

Two, each feature has the appropriate depth for the specialty in question. Laser settings are automatically recorded on charts for dermatologists. Orthopedic surgeons can share large-file imaging results with ease.

Instead of workflows and templates designed for the “textbook clinic,” these products meet the specific needs of today’s specialists.

Prepare for integration and implementation

It’s much easier to deploy an EMR system that integrates with the billing, imaging, and other platforms you use.

Some EMRs centralize those responsibilities within a single platform. If that’s the route you go, what’s it going to be like to move everything from multiple platforms?

The transition from paper to EMR or from one EMR to another is taxing under any circumstances. If the pieces of the puzzle don’t fit together, it can be even worse.

To make the best of a difficult challenge, find a vendor who is willing to help bring data from your existing platform to theirs as part of the deployment.

I definitely recommend reading reviews from actual customers about the kind of service they receive during and after implementation. If you are supposed to get a dedicated service rep, how dedicated are they?

It’s also not 100% on the vendor. What kind of in-house IT support will make everyone’s life easier? Under-budget for this at your own risk.

Upskilling a few “super-user” staff members who can fix issues on the spot will go a long way towards smoothing out the daily frustrations of moving to a new system.

#1 – CareCloud — Best for Growing Specialty Practices

CareCloud is a practice management suite that gives doctors more time to spend with their patients and more resources to invest in their practice. 

It unifies the tools providers need to manage every step of the patient relationship in their specific setting. Users can customize charts, reuse order sets, and share content with their colleagues.

The decision support features are quite advanced. This cuts down on the potential for medical errors by immediately flagging issues like dangerous drug combinations and dietary restrictions.

In addition to delivering real-time information at the point of care, quality chart data translates into rich reporting in CareCloud. 

Track the performance indicators that matter most, get an instant snapshot of where things stand, and keep an eye on how they evolve.

The EMR and revenue cycle management features work really well together. Providers can use what they discover to improve the quality of patient care and better steward a small practice over financial and regulatory hurdles.

One of the reasons CareCloud works so well is that they offer 24 specialty specific solutions. These deliver tremendous out-of-the-box functionality to providers who would otherwise be stuck configuring their system.

For pain management, physical therapy, podiatry, proctology, pulmonology—and that’s just the p’s—clinicians and physicians can get to work on CareCloud right away.

Some of the highlights of CareCloud include:

• E-prescribing
• Real-time patient flows
• Patient portal
• Drag-and-drop scheduling
• Quality initiative reporting
• Mobile app

In addition, they make a lot of additional tools available to speciality practices through their Content Store. Find solutions for insurance, billing, scheduling, and record-keeping that are built by other providers in your specific field.

You’ll have to get in touch with CareCloud for pricing, whether you want to use Charts—their EHR module—or the entire practice management platform.

It’s a great option for speciality practices that are looking to grow. CareCloud will streamline every process—from insurance to patient handoffs—because it has everything a specialist needs with none of the bloat.

#2 – athenahealth — Best for Switching to a New System

athenahealth consistently develops trusted healthcare software for hospital systems, small private practices, and everything in between. 

They offer a full practice management suite, athenaOne, which provides EHR, billing, patient engagement, population health, care coordination, and epocrates, a best-in-class mobile app.

Alternatively, providers can use athenaClinicals, the EHR component of athenaOne. Their products work well with many other options on the market, so practices don’t have to migrate all their systems at once.

This makes it a great option for practices that see EMR/EHR a key step in the gradual process of future-proofing their entire practice.

One of the biggest draws of athenaClinicals is how easy it is to navigate. It’s a really intelligent platform that is continually auto populating patient data and prioritizing important information. 

A lot of the platform’s recommendations come from trends it picks up on in your network, like routine processes and orders. If patients being seen for one treatment are often prescribed a certain medication, it will be right there without any search required.

Stop struggling with ever-changing procedure codes and insurance protocols. athenahealth monitors federal quality programs and makes best practices available immediately.

Some of the other standout features include:

• Secure voice, text, and email reminders
• Patient portal
• Decision support
• Rich reporting
• Mobile app
• App marketplace

Even though the user interface is great, there is a learning curve because the platform is so deep. In other words, the control that makes athenahealth such a great long-term solution requires a little getting used to in the short term.

I think it’s worth it, because it’s the last tool staff will ever have to learn.

The platform has proven itself capable of handling the most challenging healthcare IT environments.

Never switch again.

The cost of athenahealth’s integrated suite is based on a percentage of monthly collections. The idea is that they partner with your practice instead of locking you in a contract and charging for upgrades. 

They do well if you do well. Many companies report that the increased efficiency with billing and collections offsets the costs almost entirely, to say nothing of its impact across the practice.

athena’s customer support has a solid reputation and they have a lot of experience helping clients move their data over securely.

If you are stuck on paper or with a system that’s not getting it done, athenahealth will do what it takes to make you their next satisfied member.

#3 – SimplePractice — Best for Health and Wellness Providers

SimplePractice is an affordable practice management suite that’s delivering value to therapists, dieticians, social workers, and other providers in the mental health and wellness space.

It’s a great price for small clinics and private practices that want to centralize charts, notes, appointments, insurance, and billing in one intuitive platform.

There’s a patient portal, so both sides benefit from the accessibility. Clients can upload documents and even book their own appointments (on your terms, of course). 

Speaking of accessible, SimplePractice empowers providers to meet with their clients, regardless of where they are coming from, or ability to come in.

Every consultation can be managed securely online, thanks to features like paperless intakes, online booking, and HIPAA-compliant telehealth solutions.  

Not every community has the local resources in place to serve those who need care. And even when patients have a nearby office, taking time to come in for appointments can still pose problems.

SimplePractice can help providers stay in touch with clients, no matter how busy or far away they are.

It’s great for an entire practice, but focusing in on the EMR features, SimplePractice comes with:

• Template library
• Diagnosis and treatment plans
• Searchable ICD-10 codes
• Secure text messaging
• Appointment reminders
• Superbills
• Mobile App

There’s also customizable patient intake forms and surveys, which allow providers to ask questions in the right way. They can be sensitive, specific, and leave enough room for people to share their thoughts.

They offer plans for solo practices starting at $39/month. 

Group practice rates start at $98/month for 2 clinicians. Each additional user costs $39/month.

Features like telehealth and billing are extra charges, as they are with other platforms. On SimplePractice, however, the added costs are transparent—$10/month per user for telehealth and electronic claim filing starts at 25¢ per claim.

Practices that don’t need these features, or use something else, aren’t stuck paying, and those that need them have a predictable cost at the end of the month. 

Predictable, affordable, and complete. That’s SimplePractice. Try it free for 30 days.

Their Switching Team will help you import everything and live support is included with every plan.

#4 – Kareo — Best for Independent Practices

Kareo is an all-in-one solution for practice management that’s designed to meet the particular needs of an independent practice. 

This is their focus. You never have to worry about competing with massive hospitals for their attention.

Kareo isn’t hospital software that’s been pared down. The platform is a simple set of three integrated modules: Clinical, Billing, and Engage. 

There aren’t a million components to get the complete system and, more importantly, each part works fine on its own. 

If a company just needs a dependable EHR, for example, Kareo Clinical has everything they need.

Charts are easy to read with space for notes. They feel simple, despite the wealth of information you can add. Kareo is optimized for all screen sizes, letting providers prescribe a medication or create a bill in minutes from any device.

The e-prescribing features save providers time and patients money. With Kareo’s integrated prescription discounts, doctors can compare prices and find savings for their patients.

They have a lot of great templates and forms that can be customized quickly, plus “same-as-last-time” features that streamline routine documentation. 

Other helpful tools include:

• Patient portal
• Customizable dashboards
• Secure messaging
• Decision support
• Rich reporting
• App marketplace

Kareo flowsheets are one of the most useful reporting features, showing doctors a patient’s key vitals and lab results over time. This makes it easier to analyze progress and track several aspects of a patient’s health at once.

None of these great features take long to master. There are self-service online resources like Kareo University, which many users find helpful.

But you are not on your own. After you sign up, they provide a free Kareo success coach for the first 60 days who will help with transferring and digitizing files. 

Their customer support is available via phone, email, and chat to answer all those insurance billing questions.

For independent practices that want an efficient, simple way to manage medical records, Kareo Clinical is going to overperform. 

Summary

Providing quality care is hard. 

That’s the root of the problem when it comes to finding a workable EMR system. Often, people put off switching to a better system because it’s such a pain.

Kareo and athenahealth do a lot to make the process easier. Independent practices should opt for Kareo because it’s built to fit their needs. For everyone else, athenahealth is a dependable long-term solution no matter how their practice evolves over time.

Looking at speciality practices, CareCloud is going to be the easiest to get up and running. So much of the backend organization has been done already. Templates and forms are ready to go and you don’t have to sort through irrelevant options.

For those working in the health and wellness space, SimplePractice is a perfect platform. It’s got competitive, predictable pricing and a rich set of features designed to nurture the most sensitive patient relationships.

The post Best EMR Systems appeared first on Neil Patel.

source https://neilpatel.com/blog/best-emr-systems/