Recently, a friend narrated how his old diabetic mother who lived alone in an apartment, tripped in the dark of night. Fortunately she suffered minor injuries. It was not possible for him to quit his job and be with her at this time. He searched for solutions that allowed her to control lights and other devices like the TV, AC and water geyser. There were home automation products online (Amazon has some), but few who could install them and they charged a lot.

This is when I realized that the potential for home automation and security opportunity. Less competition and a large market waiting to be captured. If this opportunity interests you, read on…

What is Home Automation?

Home automation or domotics is a property automation system that controls lighting, domestic appliances, heating and cooling systems and entertainment systems. Most of these systems can be connected with the Internet for remote monitoring and control. Hence, these devices are a step away from being part of Internet of Things (IoT), in which everything has an assigned IP address (the device’s address on the Internet).

What are the Benefits of Home Automation & Security Systems?

1. Security / Safety

Unsurprisingly, this is the first requirement of a home automation & security system. Security of not only the building, it’s occupants and the things inside, but also that of information. Let me explain. You can install surveillance cameras, proximity sensors and smoke detectors for security of the house. You also have automation systems to control all electrical and electronic devices – well done! Now, if a hacker gets to the system, there is a possibility of you coming to a heated home in peak summers (less worrisome) or the property broken into because the security system was disabled remotely. Be wary of the technologies you use and the persons who install it.

2. Convenience

Of course, one considers a home automation system for convenience or comfort it provides – especially for the elderly. Your grandma can now easily switch on the lights using her smartphone or even a voice command and not worry about tripping on her way to the bathroom.

3. Programmable

Basic home automation systems will allow you to switch on and power down devices. But, one should consider advanced features that can be programmed or setup easily. For example, switch on the front porch lights at 7 pm. Even better if it can sense the ambient light and switch on / off automatically. How about a pet feeding device that allows you to feed your dog based on a schedule?

4. Remote Monitoring & Control

This entails connecting the device to a network – the Internet if you need to monitor and control from outside the home. You can use an app on the smartphone or tablet or a web interface on the desktop computers to monitor and control over the Internet.

5. Energy Efficiency

There is increasing concern over the effects of energy hungry devices on our planet. Smart Home automation systems enable devices to switch on and power down remotely or based on sensor inputs, schedules etc.

Home Automation and Security Consulting or Freelancing Opportunity

Home automation and security is an emerging business opportunity. As per Reuters, the home automation market is predicted to reach a market value of US$12.81 billion by the year 2020.

New-age home-owners seek more convenience and better security in their homes, but don’t have the time and / or know-how to do it themselves. This is where you, a budding home automation and security consultant, come in and save the day. If you are a fast mover, you can get ahead quickly and even expand the business to larger infrastructure like office buildings, campuses etc. This career is more suited to engineers – specifically engineers or technicians in electrical, electronic or IT streams. But, that should not stop anyone who has the skills and expertise in related technologies for home automation and security.

Now, I decided to combine home automation and security because of the overlap in terms of technology and application. Moreover, unlike security setup for office buildings or other large infrastructure, home security technology is much less complex.

Let’s see what both these functions entail. So here is one tip – put yourselves in the homeowner’s place. Ask what you would want for you and your family in your home. Think in terms of features that help save time, effort, energy (your as well as electrical), money while enhancing the security. This will give you an idea on what kinds of devices / technologies to use. Remember – always make it about the home owner and their near and dear ones.

Expectations from a Home Automation Project

A home-owner expects one or more of the following functionalities:

Smart Lighting

One usually associates smart lighting with the ‘mood lighting’ feature where you change the color of lights using an app. But it is more than just that. Smart lighting should enable control of lights remotely or by a schedule. It might also have advanced features like control by sensing ambient light or presence of people in a room. This results in reduction of energy usage. A report published by the International Energy Agency (IEA) highlighted that the world would have used 12% more energy had it not been for energy efficiency improvements like the CFL and LED lamps since 2000. The IEA also states that smart lamps and luminaries could reduce electricity consumption by auto-adjusting to daylight levels and room occupancy or be switched on / off as per schedule / remotely.  Common products in this segment include Philips Hue, Syska Smart LED, TP-Link SmartLight and others.

Smart Control Systems

Common systems in this category include those that can control electrical and electronic devices like TV, air-conditioning / heating, curtains / blinds, water geysers and so on. These assemblies have an IT component i.e. they are capable of being networked (wired / wireless). For example, one can plug in the usual electrical appliances in smart electrical sockets which are then controlled remotely using a console or the smartphone. The idea is reduce the inconvenience in switching on and off of the devices. You can even control the devices remotely – switch on the geyser when you leave your office and enjoy a hot shower when you reach home. Or perhaps change the light intensity, colour and fan speed etc. Examples of such products are Smarteefi Smart Switch Board, Homefy Smart Sockets, HomeSeer Home Controller etc

Smart Voice Assistant

If you guessed Alexa (Amazon Echo) or Google Home, you are right. One can use these devices to control devices – of course these devices need to have an interface with other home automation systems. Your kid can ask Alexa to switch on the TV without you being concerned about her reaching for the electrical outlets. The typical ad for these products show how Alexa can narrate the news or nursery rhyme. As you think of integrating it with other automation systems, you realize that the possibilities are many.

Advanced App & Device Automation

Once you get the hang of the home automation systems and their possibilities, I recommend integrating even further using services like Zapier and IFTTT. Home automation is still in the “fun” stage of integration with these services. But, many home automation and security companies have taken notice. Perhaps you can provide integration solution to such companies – this is yet another revenue stream for you. You can also build a custom system using Raspberry Pi or Arduino kits.

Expectations from a Home Security Project

Now let us see how you can secure your clients’ homes. As prices of security products keep dropping, more solutions are now within reach of the home owners. Here are some of the requirements:

Security Cameras

The most common home security cameras have surveillance and monitoring functions which can also be used later for forensic analysis. These are placed strategically to monitor the areas required. They can also be integrated with home automation systems to generate alerts on say, the smartphone. Furthermore, the presence of these devices is a deterrent against mischievous elements. While travelling in the US, I saw many homes which had security devices prominently display a sign indicating something like “This house is protected by XYZ company.” Most thieves will think twice before breaking into such homes. Ring , (Google) Nest , Logitech, Xiaomi and others are in the smart cam business. Ring was in the news because the founder Jamie Siminoff failed to get investment in the “Shark Tank” in 2013. Subsequently, his company was acquired by Amazon for over $ 1.2 Billion!

Intrusion Detection Systems

An intrusion detection system consists of devices placed in strategic locations for protecting specific areas. To be specific, these devices alert and some even sound alarm when it detects an intruder in the property. These devices have sensors (infra-red / LASER etc) that detect any intrusion in your home. So the emitter emits an infra-red beam which falls on a receiver. When there is a break in the beam due to movement, an alarm is set off and / or an alert is generated to the law enforcement / security agency / your smartphone. Besides these, there are devices which detect acoustic (sound) signals – for example, breaking of glass windows to warn the home owner.

Smoke / Fire Detection System

As the name suggests, it helps in early warning of fire in the house. Ideally it should be installed in the entire property. But if the budget is limited, the home owner could get it installed in the kitchen. (Google) Nest Protect is one such premium product for homes.

How can you get Home Automation and Security Projects?

That is, how and where can you bid for and be employed for home automation and security projects. This is one category of freelancing which is rarely available on online freelance marketplaces. This is because the requirement of property inspection, engineering, planning and project delivery is all on-site. As an example, I was approached for home automation and security consulting for a residential complex. Apartment builders need their construction projects to stand out from the other apartment complex. You should approach apartment building companies with a plan to implement home automation and security systems for their customers. This is a win-win for everyone. The builder is happy that they can provide value added service at less cost and the home owners are happy that they are getting a smart home.

That was for new houses. As for existing houses and apartments, it is your marketing push that will matter. It simply means reaching out to existing home owners OR be found easily when they search for home automation and security business.

Marketing your Home Automation and Security Consulting

Needless to say you should have printed brochures of your service offerings ready. Place ads in classifieds – online and offline. But, the most important is to have an online presence. Create your business’s Facebook page (not your usual Facebook account), Instagram and Twitter account.

You must create a website to explain what you offer, the products you recommend and the partnerships you have with product manufacturers. The website must enable them to contact you – either by phone / email / web form / social media links. The simplest way to create a website is through Wix. I wrote a post on why Wix is the cheapest and best website creating platform.

In case you need to create a custom website using WordPress, Joomla, Drupal or just plain HTML, you will need a hosting company for the website space. For hosting, I recommend Siteground. Read this post on why Siteground is the best hosting company.

Education and Training

Udemy.com offers courses in home automation and security for less than Rs 700 or $ 10. In addition, read up on various products on websites like https://www.smarthome.com, https://www.safety.com, https://www.homecontrols.com, Amazon etc. There are product videos available on YouTube as well. Subscribe to newsletters of product companies so you get notified of any new technology or product.

Conclusion

Like I wrote before, home automation and security is an emerging space – so there is less competition. This should be taken as an opportunity to move fast and dominate at least in your area or city. Here’s wishing you best of luck in your endeavors.

Let me know in the comments below if you want me to add any further information or if you have additional information to contribute.

The post Home Automation and Security Consulting: Grab This Opportunity appeared first on How2Freelance.

First up, here is an observation – now this is based on my experience as well as several other writers who I speak with – freelance writing is the easiest and the most difficult freelancing category at the same time. Huh!!?? What does that even mean?

Freelance writing is the easiest freelancing category because you only need a basic computer with Internet connection. You don’t need special software application, tools etc. Moreover, unlike other freelance categories, you are not scrambling to update yourself in different or newer skills and tools. Of course, you must have some command over the language you intend to write in. Your grasp of the genre or subject is a given too.

Now why is freelance writing the most difficult freelancing category? Because you are your own enemy. The best way to be a successful writer is…to write (and read)! Procrastination, self-doubt, lethargy, ambivalence are just some of the behavioral traits of an unsuccessful writer. Sure, your writing may..heck it will suck at first! So what? The trick is to keep on writing till you get better. It is just like any other skill – polish it till you shine.

Here are some interesting quotes on writing that you will justify my statement above:

“And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.”
– Sylvia Plath, The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath

“This is how you do it: you sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after another until its done. It’s that easy, and that hard.”
-Neil Gaiman

“Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout with some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand.”
– George Orwell

“The scariest moment is always just before you start.”
– Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.”
– Stephen King

“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.”
– Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Convinced yet? Good! Let’s move on.

Type of Freelance Writing Jobs

Here are the typical writing jobs available on online freelance marketplaces:

Book writing / ghostwriting

I wrote ghostwriting next to book writing because if you were authoring your own book, why would it be a freelancing job, right? This book writing is for someone else to put their name as the author and sell it. The job poster will give the topic, expected number of pages / words and may even point to resources online or offline for research. Your job as a writer is to write the book and submit it to the job poster, who will then sell it on Amazon or elsewhere.

You may argue that you might as well sell it instead of submitting it to the job poster. You may, of course, do that if you don’t bid for and win the contract to ghostwrite. But, think about it for a minute – do you really want your name on this book or did you have something else for the long term? Also, this job will pay you, say $ 200 for ghostwriting the 100 page ebook. Whereas the job poster intends selling it for $3 on Amazon – s/he gets about $2 max per ebook sold from Amazon. So s/he needs at least 100 ebooks sold to recover the cost of getting it written from you. I am not even adding the marketing cost and efforts. Whereas you get about $180 in your bank for your efforts and you can also keep writing your masterpiece.

Content writing

Content writing entails creating different types of content using long-form articles or posts that is search engine optimized. Content writing usually follows the journalistic form. A content writer uses various tactics to enable the content to rank higher in search results. For example, they will include keywords, cite research findings, tabulated data, links to amplifying content etc that helps the reader to comprehend the content better.

A word of advice – the old tactic of stuffing keywords all over an incomprehensible article just to rank higher is passe now. Search engines (read Google) have grown way smarter and emphasize writing for the reader or user’s benefit. If the reader is contented, your content ranks higher – perhaps that’s why it’s called content! Content writing could also be referred on freelancing sites as article / blog writing. More often than not, the job poster intends to use these blog posts to channel the blog reader to an intended action like buy the product. Therefore, the tone of the blog article or post is set by the job poster.

Review writing also forms part of this sub-category of writing. You can write reviews of products, services, solutions etc. for the information of the readers.

Copy-writing

Copy-writing is creation of (usually) short-form copy used for marketing and advertising e.g. creating headlines, taglines or press ads. This kind of marketing material is used to nudge people to think or act in a desired manner. Copywriters may also use storytelling to evoke emotion or to form a personal connect with the readers.

Creative writing

Creative writing is a form of writing which uses “right brain characteristics” like imagination, creativity and innovation. A creative writer uses feelings and emotions in order to create vivid imagery in the reader’s mind thus entertaining or educating them. Creative writing can include writing poetry, novels, short stories, plays and TV or movie scripts.

Editing

Editing is just that – you edit the written piece so that it is correct in terms of grammar, facts etc. One usually gets articles or research work written by specialists in their field, but are ‘writing-impaired’ – to put it so. You just help them make their work readable.

Proofreading

This is checking for errors – spelling / typos, punctuation, small grammatical nonsense, missing information etc. Again, you are helping the original writer in catching errors that escaped them.

Resume writing

You are helping people get jobs by writing or re-writing their resumes / CVs. Please, please do your research well and go through as much information on resumes which includes latest trends in resume evaluation technologies. You do not want to disappoint the buyer of your resume writing services. Interview them, ask them to write in their own words every experience and achievement of theirs (chronologically) as also their qualifications. Then sort and sift through the clutter to create a lucid, easy-on-the-eye resume.

Translation

You of course need to know different languages for this. Do not fall into the trap of using online translators or such tools to translate. These are not exactly accurate in translating.

Miscellaneous

Then there are other jobs posted like creation of study guides – for example, a study guide on GMAT exam. One needs to research in depth for such guides and ask for remuneration accordingly. On the same lines, one can find freelance jobs on creating Q & As for say, a multiple choice question (MCQ) exam for a K-12 school.

Where can You get Freelance Writing Jobs?

Here are some of the sites where you can bid for and win freelance writing jobs:

https://writers.work
https://allfreelancewriting.com/freelance-writing-jobs/
https://www.bloggingpro.com/jobs/
https://www.contena.co
https://guru.com
https://freelancer.com
https://fiverr.com

Getting Ahead as a Freelance Writer

• Tools. As I mentioned before, a writer does not need special tools or software to get ahead of others. It is your talent and hard-work.
• Courses. Can you learn about writing on the Internet? Yes, there are courses at udemy.com on creative writing, copy writing and so on.
• Marketing. While you would have accounts on various online freelance marketplaces, you still need to showcase your writing to clients. So why not start your own blog / website where you can do just that. I recommend Wix as a quick website creator. I have written an exhaustive post on why Wix is the best website creation tool. In case you need to host a blog on self-hosted WordPress (or other content management system), I recommend Siteground as the hosting service. Read my post on why Siteground is the best WordPress host.

Conclusion

I hope I have managed to pique your interest in freelance writing. If you have the flair for writing, you must take the plunge and try it. Reading and writing are two pleasures of life that don’t require much from you – it is just allows your mind – the greatest tool one has, to create art forms that can please and move others. Go for it!

Please write your comments below so I can improve this post further. Also, I will be grateful if you share this post on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn etc.

The post The Definitive Guide on Freelance Writing appeared first on How2Freelance.

Types of Web Design and Development Freelancing Jobs

Listed below are the most common jobs or projects on online freelance marketplaces like Guru.com, Freelancer.com, Fiverr.com etc.

• Web design in PSD format
• Slicing / converting PSD to HTML / WordPress etc
• Complete static web design and development (brochureware sites)
• Complete dynamic web design and development (database / flat-file backend for admin, other features for interactivity)
• Re-design & re-develop website
• eCommerce stores design and development (Amazon stores, Magento, BigCommerce, Shopify etc)
• Open source CMS website design and development (WordPress, Drupal, Joomla etc)
• Commercial CMS website development (Wix, Squarespace, Weebly etc)
• HTML email / newsletter design
• HTML for ePub ebook creation
• Enhance website loading speed
• On-page SEO – since it requires some coding I’ve included it here
• Restore malfunctioning websites
• Restore malware infected websites
• Then there are small jobs like:
  • HTML form with / without form-handler script
  • Edit HTML and CSS files
  • Add / edit content (may include some HTML etc) to websites
  • Website transfer to different server / host (although not classically web development, web devs can do this)
  • Setup web hosting (again quasi-web-dev)

There may be variations of these as also other custom jobs and just small tweaks.

How much can you earn in web design and development freelancing?

As usual, it depends. On fiverr.com, you can get small jobs from as low as $5 to hundreds of dollars. On Guru.com, Freelancer.com etc, you may earn upto thousands of dollars. These marketplaces have created dollar millionaires – top freelancers have now transformed into web development agencies employing other pros on their team.

Your fee is directly proportional to your skillset and the value-add you provide. Other factors include the competition and buyer’s budget. Remember that your objective is to have a client for the long term. This will ensure that your future customer acquisition costs are low, since you already have a captive client base.

Web developers tend get paid higher than web designers because of the complexity of their task. But I do know of some top designers who command a very high fee.

But wait, is web design different from web development? Can you do both? Answers follow…

Difference between Web Design and Web Development

Web Design

Web design includes the aesthetics (the “look”) and usability (layout) of a website. Web designers first discuss with the client to understand their requirements. You can read about design principles here. For example, they might ask few questions such as:

• Objective. What do they intend to use the website for? Is it simply like an information brochure that is online, or will it be useful for generating sales leads? Perhaps they intend to sell products and / or services on the website (eCommerce). And so on…This enables the web designer to create a layout that converts a website visitor into a buyer or a marketing lead etc. The layout should bring attention to the “call to action” section (buy, download, register etc) besides providing good user experience.
• Branding. Branding is the message communicated via the brand name, logo, typography, colors, images etc. ( In the post on freelancing as a graphic designer, there is a section on Brand Identity.) The web designer should ask about the client’s logo and the organization’s color palette etc. S/he should then propose the appropriate typography (some refer to as fonts) for the website. The aim here is to communicate the desired message and have consistency in the design across all mediums (online and offline).
• Images. The web designer should also ask for image preferences or restrictions. For example, an insurance company I worked with always insisted on images with racial harmony. One travel agency wanted no stock photography on their website, but original photos taken by them. As a designer you should be able to tell the client which images work or won’t work for their business objective. Better to be safe than get into a controversy later.
• Examples. Web designers usually ask clients for their favorite websites and what elements they like in each. This should also give a fair idea as to what the client prefers. But again, user experience is more important than client preferences. This should be explained to the clients, as it will affect their business in the long run.

Based on client responses, the designer creates a wireframe (visual mockup that outlines the structure of a website) for the website using the tools mentioned in this post. After the wireframe is created, the design is usually handed off to the developers who develop the frontend using HTML, CSS and Javascript.

Most web design freelancers I know use Adobe Photoshop to create the layout and other visual elements of the website. After it is approved by the client, the design is “sliced” i.e. converted to HTML, CSS and perhaps Javascript. Which means in this case, the web designer is also the web developer to some extent (if you leave out the backend programming…I will come to that in a minute).

As you would have guessed, wireframing and handing off to developers is usually for large projects handled by big agencies. For a freelancer, it is good to know about Photoshop design as also coding in HTML and CSS.

Web Development

Web Developers take the website design handed over by web designers and create a functional website from it. Thus, web developers use HTML, CSS and Javascript and it’s many libraries for programming the frontend (the interface seen by web users). They may also use programming languages like ASP.net, Python, PHP etc for the backend. (Website backend is the layer that functions on the web server, performs the core functional logic and interacts with the frontend. e.g. when a user submits a form, actions that affect the data is coded in the backend scripts). Read more on frontend and backend here.

Present day web development has eased to a considerable extent because of the evolution of CMS (Content Management Systems) like WordPress, Joomla, Drupal and many more.  CMS are easy to deploy on web hosting platforms. Once installed, you can select from a wide selection of free and premium themes (or templates) specific to the CMS. Creating websites using CMS has forced many freelancers to become web designers AND developers. This led to the creation of a new species of developers called the Full Stack developer – who expectedly are high in demand now.

So should you be a web designer or developer or both?

The answer is – it depends. Are you just a creative person who doesn’t care for programming? Then stick to website designing along with other graphic design freelancing. Whereas, if you do know or can learn programming and if you don’t have patience with colors and fonts, then you are best being a developer. But as I said earlier, with the proliferation of CMS, life has become easier for website creators – my suggestion will be to learn as much as possible about HTML, CSS, Javascript and PHP as also basic to intermediate skills on Photoshop.

The best place for learning web designing and development is Udemy.com. Go take advantage of the various sales offers they have and learn from the comfort of your home at your schedule.

Where can you get Web Design and Development Freelancing Jobs?

First and foremost, register on online freelance marketplaces like Guru.com, Freelancer.com etc if you haven’t. This is easiest as you can work as per the place and time of your choosing. You don’t need a physical office for freelancing. You can even freelance while you are in a full-time job (provided it does not create a conflict of interest with your job; read your HR policies). Read this post on good and bad of freelancing.

Later you may want to take it to the next step. You can establish a physical workspace where you can hire staff, interact with clients and so on. This implies that you are now graduating from freelancing to a full scale business – congrats!

Tools for Web Design and Development Freelacer

Besides the obvious ones like a computer with Internet connection, here are the tools you need.

Web Design

• Adobe Photoshop (expensive) or GIMP (free)
• Pixlr, Canva (online; free and premium), many others at https://www.creativebloq.com/features/best-web-design-tools
• Images from DepositPhotos.com and other stock photo portals
• Templates and Themes – Envato, Genesis, etc

Web Development

• Adobe Dreamweaver (expensive) or Atom / Notepad++ (free)
• Various libraries like jQuery, Angular, Bootstrap, React.js etc
• Code / scripts from Codecanyon.net etc

Marketing your services

While having an account on online freelance marketplaces will get you some gigs, what about actively seeking work? For this you need to reach out to potential clients through the web and social media. So, firstly as a website designer or developer you MUST have have a website yourself. This website should showcase your portfolio for clients to see and understand your capability. The website can also have pricing information, the process and tools you use for website creation and even an online ordering system.

If you want to create your and your clients’ website using WordPress, Joomla or other CMS or even just HTML & CSS, then I recommend Siteground for website hosting. I have written an exhaustive post on why Siteground is the best hosting service.

You also have a choice for DIY website creation service like Wix which creates websites faster and easier for you or your clients. Read more about why Wix is the best online website creation tool.

I hope you now have a basic understanding of what it entails to freelance as web designer or web developer. Done right, it is a nice paying and satisfying profession as of now. You get the satisfaction of seeing your work being used by thousands of website users and also contributing to the client’s business objective. This (satisfaction) perk is under-rated by most, but is one of the key components in creation of dopamine, the chemical in your brain, which contributes to you being happy.

On the other hand, if one takes shortcuts to create a website, it may end up being a lose-lose situation for your client and you. A fantastic failure example is when Hertz (car rental company) sued Accenture for $ 32 million for a botched website redesign! . Can you believe it – $32 million and the website was NOT even delivered! Well that went badly for Accenture…but for a freelancer, it may be loss of future business. So, get skilled, do your homework with the client and deliver fantastic websites – you owe to the website visitors also.

My best wishes to you for starting your web design or development freelancing career.

Do write in the comments below and share this post on your social media. Cheers!

The post Guide to Web Design and Development Freelancing appeared first on How2Freelance.

The Web Hosting Landscape

The web hosting scene is dominated globally by GoDaddy and EIG (Endurance International Group). Note that I am referring to shared web hosting companies only and not cloud or VPS / dedicated hosting providers like AWS, DigitalOcean etc. (Cloud /VPS/ dedicated hosting is discussed in a separate post)

GoDaddy has the most websites hosted at 19% of the global share of around 1.5 billion websites! GoDaddy dominated the web hosting industry since it has been the leader in domain registration and had an enormous captive customer base. In most cases, GoDaddy is the first website hosting company choice for new websites. You may have seen the TV ads featuring Dhoni (India) and Danica Patrick (USA). They have the infrastructure and the marketing budget. I have used their domain registration service since 2005 and sporadically used web hosting too…but are they the best? Read on…

EIG has control of over 60 web hosting brands which include some of the major players in the hosting business, such as HostGator, BlueHost, BigRock, HostMonster, iPage, JustHost etc. Over the years, EIG acquired these previously independent brands and thus grew their customer base. HostGator and BlueHost account for most of their websites hosted. I have used their website hosting for many of my clients and was generally satisfied with their services. But, again are they the best WordPress hosting company?

Okay, let’s end the suspense here. So, my dear readers, the best WordPress hosting is (drum roll please…) Siteground.

Siteground : The Best WordPress Hosting Company for 2019

I have been on Siteground since 2010, hosting WordPress and Joomla sites for myself and many of my clients. I have seen them grow the number of customers over these years. Siteground offers excellent hosting plans for WordPress (and also other CMS and HTML only websites). They have optimized servers that provide excellent performance, security and a responsive support service – all at affordable pricing.

Siteground is the best WordPress hosting based on 5 critical success factors such as loading speed of websites, security & uptime, support service, pricing and site management tools (in that order).

I explain each of these 5 factors which make Siteground the best WordPress hosting provider (shared)

1. Siteground Speeds Up Your Website / Blog

This is the most important reason for you to choose Siteground. Why? Because, if your website or blog loads faster, it enhances your site visitors’ experience. This drastically improves your ranking in search engine results (SEO), thus getting even more visitors to your website.

Siteground does this by implementing following top-class technologies:

SSD Drives

SSD is short for Solid State Drives. The older hard disk drives (HDD) had mechanical parts like platters, actuator arms etc which move when reading or writing data. Moving parts imposed limit on the speed of the platters and the arm. SSDs on the other hand, have no moving parts – just microchips and circuits like you have in the USB drives. Because of no moving parts, data is read and written much faster. Siteground uses SSDs for all hosting accounts. That’s +1 point.

4 Data Centers in 3 Continents

Siteground has data centers in Chicago (US), London, Amsterdam and Singapore. You can choose the location to host your website that is closest to majority of your site visitors. The geographical distance between the server and visitor reduces, thus reducing the turnaround time of the user requests and reducing the page loading times.

NGINX = Fastest Web Server

Siteground uses NGINX (pronounced engine-X) which is arguably the fastest web server technology. Up until a few years ago, running WordPress on Apache web server was a given, especially on a Linux operating system. Enter NGINX – it can handle very high traffic while using less memory. Thus, NGINX has inherent speed advantage over other web servers. https://serverguy.com/comparison/apache-vs-nginx/  . If you don’t understand this, don’t worry – it just means that Siteground has the latest, optimized technology that loads your website quickly.

SG Optimizer Plugin

This is the secret sauce on Siteground,  the best WordPress hosting provider. Siteground has custom developed a plugin called SG Optimizer that speeds up your WordPress website or blog with ease. It is pre-installed on Siteground WordPress installations. You just activate the plugin and ‘flip some switches’ in the admin panel – it’s that easy. This plugin will take care of most caching aspects without you or a developer bothering too much about the technology. This is a huge plus point over other shared hosts where you need to install other caching plugins which require some fiddling around.

PHP7

Siteground has support for PHP7, the latest version of PHP, a server side technology that WordPress and other CMS like Joomla, Drupal etc use. There are many advantages of PHP7 over the previous versions, but the most important ones are enhanced speed and security. Yet another factor for faster loading websites.

HTTP/2

HTTP/2 is the newest network technology, which significantly speeds up (up to 2x) loading of websites in the browser. Siteground is among the first hosts to support it on their servers. Recently, Siteground announced QUIC on their servers. QUIC considerably increases site loading speed when you have poor connectivity. It’s the base for the next generation of Internet protocol i.e.  HTTP/3   [ HTTP => HTTP/2 => QUIC => HTTP/3 ].  Siteground is one of the first hosting companies to provide this technology.

Free CDN

CDN (Content Delivery Network) is a network of servers that deliver web pages to users based on their geographic locations. Siteground has partnered with Cloudflare to make your website load faster. When visitors access your website, their CDN delivers the content much faster from the data center closest to them. You can activate it in your account with just a single click!

2. Higher Security and 99.99% Uptime

Better security means you have less maintenance headaches and your website visitors are assured of secure browsing experience. 99.99% uptime translates to the website being down for only 52 minutes in the year. This means more visitors and thus increased earnings. This also enhances your search engine ranking. Few of the features contributing to higher security and 99.99% uptime on Siteground are:

Free SSL

Yes! Siteground empowers you to have a Free SSL certificate from Let’s Encrypt. For those not technically inclined – when your website has SSL enabled, a padlock is displayed next to the website URL / address in the browser. The URL also begins with ‘https’ instead of ‘http’. This indicates that the ‘pipeline’ from the website to visitor’s browser is encrypted i.e. users are assured that their interactions with your website is safe.

Anti-bot AI

One of the serious threats is brute-force attacks by malicious botnets (multiple devices running bots or automated programs to perform certain functions). Siteground has developed an AI (Artificial Intelligence) solution that stops millions of brute-force attacks per hour. It not only prevents unauthorized access, but saves your resources and increases your website uptime.

Free Website Backups and Restore

Siteground offers a free backup and restore tool for all websites. This is usually a premium service in other web hosting companies. If your website on Siteground faces some serious issues, just select the last good backup and restore the site with one-click restore button!

Secure Account Isolation

In most shared hosting companies, if one of the website on the server is infected, there is a high chance of others being infected as well. Siteground has ensured all accounts are isolated to ensure that one vulnerable website does not endanger other websites on the server.

Guardian Server Monitoring

This a monitoring system that detects problems in the servers. It prevents and fixes service disruptions by automatically reacting to different situations. It also alerts human engineers when a problem is detected. This guarantees that issues are sorted speedily.

3. Support Service

One of the frequent complaints of web hosting customer is that the support of so-and-so hosting provider sucks! If a website owner has to run around for their legitimate requests, it is quite natural that they will get pissed off. This is reflected in the online reviews of such hosting providers.

Siteground shines brilliantly in that aspect too. Siteground is Sofia, Bulgaria based company with highly skilled engineers who are acknowledged by WordPress and other tech firms globally. In fact, Siteground is recommended by the WordPress people. Moreover, when you write or call their support desk, your issue is sorted politely and timely.

Furthermore, if you need to transfer an existing website, their support service will do it for you in a few hours, and even for free if you have signed up for one of the GrowBig or GoGeek plans.

4. Pricing

Siteground pricing is as per industry standards. But, with the amazing features that you get (high speed, high grade security & uptime, excellent support & tons of features), you are saving your time, money, effort and heart-burns! Now, that is excellent value.

Get more than 65% OFF the regular pricing of the best WordPress hosting at Siteground today!

5. Awesome Website Management Tools

All other web hosting providers will rattle out the same features like free email accounts, databases, one-click application installation. Siteground has all these and provides other tools that takes the load off of managing your website. A few of these are:

Staging

Dynamic websites (like WordPress, Joomla, other eCommerce CMS etc) require updates and changes as requirements change. Since big updates can be dicey, it is advisable to test major change in a safe “sand-box” that will not affect the live website. Siteground has developed a tool that creates a copy of your site on which you can make and test the changes, and then push the changes to your live site in one click. This tool is available on their GrowBig and GoGeek plans.

WordPress Migration Tool

If you don’t want Siteground support to move your website to their servers, then why not use their migration tool which does this easily? Just install the given plugin, follow the instructions and you are done.

Free Auto-update

Your WordPress site is auto-updated – that way your site is secure and you don’t have to bother about managing the updates.

Now, that you are convinced that Siteground is indeed the best WordPress hosting provider, let me help you with how to get on Siteground for building that amazing website or blog of yours.

3 Steps to Your Amazing Website / Blog on Siteground

Step 1 : Choose a Hosting Plan

Click here to get more than 65% discount on Siteground’s hosting plans. (Opens in new tab / window). Once the page opens, select one of the plans to go ahead. StartUp plan is good for 1 website, GrowBig and GoGeek are for multiple websites. You can of course upgrade as your website / business grows. Tip: Go for multiple years to lock in the 65% discount. Click on “GET PLAN” button (for your required plan)

Step 2: Choose Your Domain

If you want to register a new domain name, select “Register a New Domain” or else select “I already have a domain” – enter the domain name in the given field e.g. how2freelance.com

Click on “PROCEED” button

Step 3: Review and Finish

On this page, you will enter your details like name, email, credit card etc (it is secured with SSL). Another important information is that you can change the data center location where your website is hosted. By default, it will select the location nearest to you (e.g. Singapore for customers in Asia, Chicago for US clients etc). You can also ask for free website transfer and other services here. Of course, you can also request / add or delete these service from the intuitive admin panel Siteground has.

Once you enter the details and select the required boxes, click on “PAY NOW” and you are done! Your website will be setup in minutes and you will receive email notification to that effect. Tip: Save the email and the login details in someplace safe.

That’s it! Thank you for reading this post on the best WordPress hosting provider – Siteground. I hope I have been able to make your decision easier. Now, go to Siteground and get that 65% discount.

If there are any other questions or features you want me to include, do let me know in the comments below.

And yes, please do share this post on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc for the benefit of your friends. I will really appreciate your help.

P.S. If you are not that technically savvy and need a website or blog to be built easily, then I have written about Wix, the World’s best website creator tool that gets your website ready in minutes.

The post This is the Best WordPress Hosting Provider for 2019 appeared first on How2Freelance.

Cyber Security – the Fastest Growing Job Category

I will not bore you with data on why cyber security is important since almost everyone has been affected due to cyber-attacks. Either bank customers could not withdraw cash from hacked ATMs or their national identity details have been leaked online. I am not even mentioning why cyber-attacks are a constant headache for corporations and other organizations.

This has given rise to the increasing demand for cyber security specialists. Here are some interesting statistics:

• As per the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, cyber security job growth rate is projected at 37% from 2012 to 2022. This growth is faster than the average for all other careers.
• Cyber security Ventures reported that there will be 3.5 million unfilled cyber security jobs by 2021. This implies that there will be almost no unemployment in cyber security. Sadly, it also points to the lack of trained people to handle cyber security.
• Cyber-crime is predicted to cost the world $6 trillion annually by 2021.
• National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) estimated that India alone will need 1 million cyber security professionals by 2020.
• Israel leads employer demand for cyber security talent according to a 2016 report from Indeed, the global job portal. Israel’s appetite is because of the 200+ cyber security ventures founded in the country.

Cyber Security Jobs and Freelancing / Consulting

As expected, banks and financial companies hire the most cyber security talent followed by defense & aerospace and others.

What about small and medium businesses who have limited technological resources and therefore a smaller hiring budget? This is where one can work on contract as a cyber security freelancer. Remember Robert Herjavec from the Shark Tank? He founded the Herjavec Group, a cyber security services company.

A Vice President at Herjavec Group, Melissa Zicopula said that, “Partnership with a 3rd party Security Operations Center (SOC) provider is beneficial to companies that have limited IT resources and lack internal security expertise”.

I know that investing in SOC means a huge amount beyond the reach of freelancers. But, you can offer your cyber security skills for in-demand roles as given below.

Top in-demand Cyber Security Expertise

Vulnerability Assessment

Vulnerability assessment is the process of identifying, classifying and prioritizing vulnerabilities (weaknesses) in IT infrastructure and applications. Vulnerability assessment report provides information about weaknesses in an organization’s systems. This information will enable the organization to understand the risks and apply the necessary controls to reduce or eliminate the risks. As freelancer, you can do vulnerability assessment using various free and paid tools including automated vulnerability scanners.

Penetration Testing

Penetration testing is an approved cyber-attack on a system. That is, actual hacking is simulated using tools and techniques that a potential attacker might use. The objective of penetration testing is to assess the security of the system. Freelancers who are skilled in ethical hacking can perform penetration testing using a variety of free and paid tools.

Incident Handling and Response

The aim of incident handling and response is to identify and respond to unexpected disruptive events so as to limit the impact within acceptable levels. These events can be result of cyber-attacks mounted on the network or due to errors, accidents, and system / process failure. Not all organizations have the capability of incident handling and response. As freelancers, you can help the business to understand the impact and how to contain it as also prevent its recurrence.

Audit and Compliance

Organizations have to comply with various regulations for their stakeholders’ safety and security. For example, GDPR compliance is mandatory for anyone having customers in Europe, irrespective of the business’s location. Freelancers can help organizations achieve this compliance and even audit them. Similarly, businesses who want to be reassured go for ISO 27000 and similar certifications. Freelancing consultants can audit or certify such organizations.

Firewall/IDS/IPS/SIEM Administration or Support

Those entities who don’t have the technical resources to help configure various security devices like firewall, IDS, IPS etc, seek help from freelancing consultants. Freelancers need to have hands-on experience on the devices and should partner with security vendors / distributors.

Web Application Security

Using web vulnerability scanner like Acunetix or Nessus or the open source ZAP, one can find vulnerabilities and flaws in a web application. Freelancers can help fix these flaws as per the given recommendations and best practices. You need to know not only the programming language but also some cross-domain knowledge on networking, cryptography etc for this.

Training for Cyber Security Jobs or Freelancing

Okay, first up let me be frank. In the field of cyber security, your hands-on experience and skills matter much more than degrees and certifications. Read that again! College and university degrees in cyber security is yet to be mainstream like the other degrees and diplomas. That being said, if you are say a skilled hacker, getting an OSCP certification puts a stamp on your skills and clears the career path. Therefore, certifications such as CISSP, CISA, CISM, CEH, OSCP, Security+ etc are the benchmark with which to weigh a potential candidate.

Therefore, my suggested learning path for cyber security is:

• Subscribe to the top cyber security e-zines, blogs etc. A few of the good ones are DarkReading, Daniel Miessler, Krebs on Security, Cybrary and many more. Keep yourself updated on events and technologies. Remaining updated is the key to a successful cyber security career.
• Get Certified. I have already made the case for certifications. Go get certified.
• Make Your Own Notes. Try to learn by using Richard Feynman’s technique. It has 4 steps, including making your own notes. That way, you are crystal clear about the technology and it’s application. This helps in quick understanding (waste less time) and also impress interviewers. https://curiosity.com/topics/learn-anything-in-four-steps-with-the-feynman-technique-curiosity/
• Practice the Tools. Just watching and reading about the tools won’t help. You need to be hands-on. Install the free ones at least and keep at them. There are so many resources that help you get better.
• Sign up for Cloud Accounts. You need to know how to secure your client’s infrastructure or application. Learn to harden the stack by building, destroying and re-building these tech stacks. Why pay for such practice environments when you can get them for free (for a few months or even a year). Google Cloud Platform, AWS and MS Azure offer free 1-year accounts. Sign up on them – if you stagger your registration on all three, you can get 3 years of free cloud account! Then setup your VM instance and practice the stack of your choice.

How to Start your Cyber Security Freelance / Consulting Career

Step 1 – Identify your Field

Depending on your knowledge, skills and experience in cyber security, you should have an idea about what you can accomplish. Find out more about potential freelance opportunities by going to online freelance marketplaces like freelancer.com and fiverr.com. Observe what jobs are posted frequently, their earnings and also look at the competition. Write down your observations and compare. This should enable you to decide which niche you want to start with. Note that I wrote “start with”. You can always add / switch to other fields once you get a client base and achieve your target of positive ratings and reviews.

Step 2- Gap analysis

Check for gaps in the level of service you want to provide and capabilities you have. If you fall short of skills or practice, go to portals like Udemy.com, learn and practice.

Step 3 – Register

You should register on online freelance marketplaces like freelancer.com and fiverr.com. Also, depending on local regulations, register your business with the governing authorities. In India, it is advisable to begin as a Proprietorship with GST registration. Consider registering for a PayPal account (for receiving international payments) and other payment gateways in your country.

Step 4 – Marketing

Your marketing campaign should be offline and online. Use offline media like newspaper ads, Yellow Pages etc. Cold-calling potential clients and visiting their offices also works. Setup your Facebook Page and a LinkedIn page.

Why not appear to be a professional setup by creating your website at a cost less than that of a burger??!!

Step 5 – Get the Deal

Marketing is just the start of your engagement with potential clients. To convert the marketing lead into a sale, convince the clients about the value your service brings to them. Is your service identifying the risks as well as opportunities for the business? Is your penetration testing more thorough and with actionable reporting? Make it about your client’s delight and you will see they will keep coming to you.

Conclusion

I hope you have learnt how to use your cyber security skills for freelancing or consulting career. Perhaps this could be a step towards a bigger business. Or if you are interested in climbing the corporate ladder, you can always build a rocking CV / resume by adding on more cyber security skills and experience as you freelance. Most recruiters will appreciate your entrepreneurial spirit and the growth mindset.

The post Guide to Cyber Security Jobs and Freelancing appeared first on How2Freelance.

For the long answer, read on.

What is an Online Website Builder?

There are two types of website building tool – online and offline website builders. Offline tools or software require you to install the software like Dreamweaver on your computer. You then create the website and upload the files to your web hosting account. We will not be discussing this (offline) type of website builders.

Additional Reading: Read this post on evolution of website builders.

Online website builders are tools that allow the creation of websites without writing code or programming. It simply means you can visually design, develop, and deploy website using drag-and-drop functionality. These online website builders save you money, time and loads of efforts.

You have a range of online website building companies like Wix, Weebly and Squarespace and more. You do not need to install any software on your computer. You just open your web browser, go to say, Wix and sign up. Then using their templates, create your websites in a few hours or even minutes! You can easily drag-and-drop elements to your pages (as you would in MS Word or PowerPoint) and create your website. You can create anything from a basic personal website / blog to a full-fledged store selling your stuff online. Services like Wix assist you in creating your website through online help pages and how-to video tutorials as also technical support by email and phone.

They offer templates for a range of business and professions. You can select a template of your choice, say a restaurant or physician and just add your own text and images.

Why is Wix the best online website builder?

Here are just some of the reasons why Wix.com is the best online website builder:

Superb Templates

You have a choice of more than 500 beautiful templates crafted by designers. After you sign up, you can browse through all these templates or even view them as per the category that meets your requirement. Each template is like your “website package” – it will have common pages like Home, About, Services (or Products), FAQs, Testimonials, Contact, Portfolio and more. This is just to get you started and for you to see the possibilities. Once you get used to the system within minutes, you will be blown away by what you can create using simple drag-and-drop. Customize every page to your heart’s content.

Be careful about what template you choose. Why? Because, after you have created your website using one template and added the content (text, images etc.), you won’t be able to apply a different template to the site. (You can make as many changes to individual design elements, media, colors, fonts etc) The solution is that if you like another template, you can create a new site with the new template and copy-paste your content there. (Of course at no extra cost). As an aside, Wix has been asking its users if they want the ability to switch templates easily – so it is probable that Wix will come up with that feature as well.

Mobile Responsive Website

Wix website templates are mobile responsive i.e. the website will adapt automatically for desktop or laptops as also for iPhones, Android devices, iPads etc. Your website will look fabulous on any device. You don’t have to configure anything or worry about any technology and standards. But why so much concern about this mobile thing? W3C Counter (https://www.w3counter.com/globalstats.php ) and also Statcounter (http://gs.statcounter.com/platform-market-share/desktop-mobile-tablet ) has listed that as of Jan 2019, over 53% of online traffic was through mobile devices. If you ignore mobile-device website visitors, you simply lose more than half of your potential customers. Moreover, since they browsed on their smartphones or iPads etc, perhaps they are valuable clients with more purchase power and better education.

Customize your Layout and Design with Simple Drag and Drop

Design like an architect on the Wix builder. Wix website creator is a true WYSIWYG (What you See is what you Get) tool where you can customize everything with drag-and-drop. Go all out an experiment with different images, buttons, other layout elements like columns and more.

Wix has tons of design and media elements. Unleash your creativity on the Wix canvas! Try out more than 100 fonts and their combinations. Want to add your own font – upload them easily. Add a wow factor using animation, video backgrounds and scroll effects. Do you want to show off your photos or videos? Simply add media galleries. Showcase your photos and videos in many beautiful gallery layouts. It is as simple as uploading your photos or videos and selecting the type of gallery layout you want.

In-built SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Your website is useless if it cannot be found on search engines like Google, Bing etc. Wix templates are coded in such a way that you can easily add and change elements for on-page SEO like the page title, description, title tags and more. (You still have to build your social media and other back links etc. – for that there are lots of tutorials on Wix websites and elsewhere)

Social Media

You have seen those social media icons on various websites asking you to click and share their content? You can do the same for your website. This way get more visitors on your website and also build your social media fan following. Wix allows you to add social media buttons, likes, shares, feeds and follower counts into your website.

Secure your Website

• SSL. Have you seen the lock on the address bar of your browser? If yes, the site has a security feature called SSL wherein all transactions between the website and the visitor’s browser are encrypted. Wix adds that to your website by default. If you hosted your website on some other host, this itself will cost you hundreds of dollars to setup. BONUS : Boost your website’s SEO if site is SSL-enabled. That is one smart move ahead of your competitors.
• Backups. One important feature my clients regularly face is backups. I have had client’s (not Wix) websites hacked or they accidentally deleted the pages (even the entire site in one case!). In most cases I have a backup of their website, which I had delivered to them. But it is of little use if there have been multiple revisions to the site content. Wix takes care of that headache by backing up multiple versions of your website. If you need to go back to the previous best version, just a few clicks will do the work for you. That is one huge anxiety removed!

Cheapest Pricing

The basic Wix plan is free. But Wix will display ads on your website, which is not good for projecting a professional image. Moreover, you cannot have your custom domain name (see next section). Worry not. Because Wix’s best premium features only cost Rs 70 per month! That is less than the cost of a burger or one liter of petrol!  It is no doubt the cheapest option on the Internet today for they value you get in terms of features. Your visitors will think you’ve paid thousands for a custom-built website.

Still not convinced about pricing? Okay, allow me to explain. For a functional professional looking website, you need your own domain name (see next section), web hosting account (a service that has technology to host and serve websites to visitors), web designer / developer (cost based on complexity) and time. All of this will cost you thousands (of rupees, dollars, whatever). Why pay that much when you get all that and more at a fraction of the cost and no headaches??!!

Tools and Advanced Functionality

Custom Domain Name

Do you prefer www.how2freelance.com or www.myusername.wix.com/how2freelance ? www.how2freelance.com is my custom domain name which is easier for you to remember. Furthermore, it makes you look professional. On wix.com you can buy a custom domain name (e.g. www.yourbusinessname.com / www.smileclinic.in etc). If you have already purchase one from Godaddy or any other registrar, you can connect it with your website on wix.com in few simple steps.

Mailbox

Appear professional to customers and friends by having your own personalized email address. So, if your domain name is www.rajutravels.in, you can have contact@rajutravels.in rather than some Rediffmail or other.

Chat

Setup a live chat function on your website for customers to contact you through yet one more channel. The more communication channels you offer, the easier it is for your visitors to contact you.

Member’s Restricted Area

On your website, you can create password protected areas for which you can allow access to a few users only. For example, you are a tutor who wants only your students to access the notes. Create a restricted area easily and give each of your student username and password to access the area or download the content. Once done, revoke access easily.

Be a Wix Ninja!

Are you a coder with experience in web development? Then Wix is for you too. You can help your client with advanced functionality with JavaScript and their APIs. There’s no limit to what you can create with Wix.

Wix ADI

This is the second way to create your website on Wix. Wix ADI uses AI (artificial intelligene) to create the website of your dreams in minutes! Once you sign up on Wix and select Wix ADI, you will be asked (using online forms) to answer a few questions about you and your work or profession. The ADI engine will do its magic to weave a professional website. You can of course switch to the Wix Editor later if you want to customize any page or elements of your site.

Wix Tools

App Market

Once you have your website layout and design ready, you can choose from a range of web apps that extend the functionality of your website. Want to add a forum where members can discuss about the topics you add and control? Go right ahead! Manage your website and grow business with powerful web Apps. Similarly add events calendar, online booking, e-commerce, and much more. You can even earn ad revenue by adding Google Adsense to your blog.

More than 110 Million users can’t be wrong!

Wix was founded in 2006 by 3 technologists from Israel. Today, Wix is being used by 110+ million users in 190 countries. Everyday 45,000 users sign up for Wix websites. They have a 2500 strong team in 7 countries. There is also a growing community of Wix experts who provide services for a fee. All these numbers point to the fact that Wix is doing everything right i.e. putting you, the customer’s interest first. Why wouldn’t anyone love Wix!?

Who is Wix best suited for?

Website builders like Wix.com are the best choice for small businesses and professionals alike.

Some of the common use cases where you can use Wix to create websites for are:

• Business Website – This is where Wix really outshines everyone on the planet. You can build a website for florists, restaurants, travel agency, real estate, legal, HR, IT services, financial services etc
• Professionals – Just like business website, there are templates galore for doctors, lawyers, accountants, consultants etc. You can add apps for online appointment booking, members restricted area, documents area, registration forms, events and much more.
• Photographers – Whether you are an amateur hobbyist or a portfolio photographer and more, use Wix to showcase your portfolio. Engage with your potential clients by a marketing campaign to get them to the website, see your online portfolio and contact you for photography services. You can even sell stock photos through the website.
• Online stores / eCommerce – If you want to sell products online you can select the template for online stores – your products can be physical products like clothes or digital products like your eBooks, music or videos. Wix takes care of the payment gateway. You just need to stock your products, drive a marketing campaign and check your inventory and other information the Wix e-store dashboard gives you. You can create promotional codes for increasing loyalty. Your e-store can be managed through a mobile app while on the move. If your e-store sales have begun giving you monthly profits in millions, then firstly congrats! Next, you will need a powerful e-commerce platform that is scalable – something like Shopify, Magento or BigCommerce. These are eCommerce service providers designed exclusively for building online stores.
• Students & salaried employees – Sending your CV to everyone as an attachment is history. Appear progressive and professional by having your CV / resume on the website. If you add your video resume and images of your achievements, awards etc, it will be a bonus. Of course, connect it to your LinkedIn profile and Github etc too.
• Blogging – Wix provides enough features for you to create and run a blog. Yeah, sure there are other (better) options for blogging like WordPress. But, if you are just starting to blog, why invest lots of money and time on it. Once you have good number of visitors to your blog (thousands), then go for WordPress. Till then, hone your skills using Wix. Like other blogging platforms, Wix allows you to create blog posts, separate them into categories and add a comments section. Housewives, retired folks and others who have some free time on their hands can blog about their passion, be it cooking, travelling, styling, professional information etc. You can earn from ads or by selling other products / services too.

Who is it not suitable for?

Creating large websites with massive databases and complex workflows is not the forte of such services. If you want to create the next big online business, you are better off hiring expert programmers. Also if you have thousands of blog visitors or e-store customers, then Wix is not suitable for you. It is better to go with WordPress for blogging and e-commerce solution like Shopify for your store.

The post Why Wix is the Best Online Website Builder appeared first on How2Freelance.

Websites created in starting years of the World Wide Web (early 1990s) were manually written in a programming language called HTML. The webpages then had mostly text and images, then came videos and Flash and then interactivity (output of web forms to database etc).

Website Building Software (Offline)

During those heydays, some smart people came up with software to help non-programming novices to create web pages visually. FrontPage was the first such software created by Vermeer Technologies in 1995. The company was acquired by Microsoft in the same year and since then it was known as MS FrontPage till it was retired in 2003. FrontPage was followed by Macromedia Dreamweaver which quickly became the market leader in the drag-and-drop website publishing field. Dreamweaver was later acquired by Adobe (the people who created Photoshop).

There were / are many other such applications. All of these were offline website creating software i.e. FrontPage or Dreamweaver had to be installed in your computer. Then you opened it like other applications (say, MS Word) and start creating your website. After your webpages were done and structured as a website with links and all, then you could upload them to the web hosting company’s servers. If something didn’t work as expected, you go back to the software, edit the pages and re-upload them again. Every new change or edit meant doing that. (I am not even mentioning other complications like FTP and FrontPage extensions etc!)

Online Website Builders

Around the same time, some companies came up with online website creators. Yahoo Geocities, Lycos Angelfire and Tripod were some of the leading ones. There was no need to install any software. You could just access their service using a web browser. Then sign up for their free accounts, select a template and start adding pages and content to your website. You would typically get an account with 20 MB space (!) and a domain name like www.yourname.tripod.com or www.username.geocities.com/somename .

This caught the fancy of many non-programming web enthusiasts. That led to almost all web hosting companies to offer some kind of online website creation tool. Nothing too earth-shattering about their technologies, but it kind of got the job done for those who didn’t want to hire web developers for their small 4-5 page website.

Online Website Builders Today

As technology evolved, online website creation tools became even easier, offered many other functionalities all at much cheaper cost. Today, there are two types of online website builders. One is the classic template-based platforms where you choose one of the pre-designed templates, customize the design and then add your content.

Second type is the AI platform which is a result of advancements in AI (Artificial Intelligence). AI website builders work by creating a website for you based on your preferences, functions required and site objectives. Once you sign up, they will ask you a series of questions using web forms e.g. what is your profession, who will be your typical site visitor (their demographics and needs), your design preferences and so on. After that, the AI engine creates a website in minutes. You can of course then edit and customize this AI created website. The good part of this AI creation is that you have a website up very quickly.

There are dozens of services who offer online website creation. Some of the most popular ones are Wix, Weebly and Squarespace and more. You do not need to install any software on your computer.

You use your web browser to sign up to one of these services, say Wix. Then you can either create your website using their AI creator or the classic editor. If using the editor, you can choose one of their templates, customize the design and layout and add in your content like text and images. You can easily drag-and-drop elements to your pages (as you would in MS Word or PowerPoint) and create your website. Your website is ready in a few hours or even minutes!

Read this post on why Wix is the best online website builder

You can create anything from a basic personal website / blog to a full-fledged store selling your stuff online. Services like Wix assist you in creating your website through online help pages and how-to video tutorials as also technical support by email and phone.

Moreover, they offer templates for a range of business and professions. You can select a template of your choice, say a restaurant or physician and just add your own text and images.

The post Evolution of Website Builders appeared first on How2Freelance.

As I mentioned in the parent post you have range of servers – from simple tower machine to a multi-blade server. Although on-site server administration tasks are too many to list here, I will just mention the ones that are most commonly requested for on online freelance marketplaces or even on-site at SMBs etc.

Some common service offerings that can be offered are:

1. Web Hosting Setup

People who need to have a website or a web application on the Internet require web hosting. In many cases, web developers handle this in addition to their programming work. But there are many who are either not that skilled in web-host server configuration or simply want to outsource this to experts for lack of time or other reason. This is where you, the server expert, step in and do the job.

Setting up a web host on shared hosting is as easy as point and click. Read / watch the hosting company’s tutorials and help clients with setting up, say a WordPress website as also configure email accounts for them on the web hosting company of their choice.

2. Website / Web Application Migration

Clients switch their hosting company either because they are unhappy about services or have got a nice deal that would save them money. So they would like their production (live) website or web app to be migrated to the new platform. For example, a lawyer got a fantastic deal during a sale / promotion and now wants his WordPress based website to be moved from web host A to web host B. You help them do it with low or negligible downtime of the website.

3. Website Performance

If a website does not load fast (<3 seconds), the risk of losing visitors increases. This hurts the search engine ranking besides losing business to the competition. So website owners want to speed up their website and contract consultants for improving the website speed.

This requires knowledge of http accelerators (like Varnish), caching technologies, CDN (Content Delivery Network) as also other optimizing techniques like minifying files etc. Yes, some of the factors may be due to bad coding of the application or the website – which requires expert programming skills. But most of the requirements that are posted on Fiverr or other freelance marketplaces can be easily handled by server admins.

4. Cloud Services

A cloud service makes computing resources such as storage and computing power available on demand. They are essentially massive data centers (with powerful, optimized hardware and software) on the Internet. They can dynamically scale to meet the requirements of its customers. Few of the top cloud service providers are AWS (Amazon Web Services), GCP (Google Cloud Platform) and Azure (Microsoft Azure), IBM Cloud, RackSpace, Alibaba Cloud etc.

These cloud service providers have fantastic infrastructure and technology managed by some of the smartest people on the planet. So if it is the latest technology, it will be on their platform and which you can use for a fraction of the cost to deploy yourself. What about the gestation period / time it takes for these technology to trickle down to not-so-uber-rich companies? And do you know how much it costs to hire that kind of specialist talent? Yeah…you are right! With cloud service, you get all that at a fraction of the cost. With cloud services any individual or small business can leverage the power of this technology to further their business objectives.

I host this website on Google Cloud Platform. It took me about 3 hours to setup a VM with hardened Linux, Nginx, PHP, MySQL (LEMP stack), Varnish, WordPress, SSL, email account on Zoho and some more. All while going back and forth between video tutorials and help blog posts! Now, it will take me less than an hour to do the same. And I am not as young as most of my readers are.

What I am saying is that it is easy to learn and setup a cloud environment in the present day than it was in the yesteryear, mucking around with settings and user manuals because the Linux distro didn’t recognize your NIC.

Google Cloud, AWS and MS Azure all offer free accounts for one full year. Take advantage of this promotional offer to practice your cloud service skills. I also recommend that you take courses from Udemy.com to learn about all these cloud platforms and more.

Once again Fiverr.com is an excellent portal to begin your cloud support freelancing journey. Start by offering services in a less crowded niche to rack up ratings / reviews as also build a client base. Later you can provide other IT infrastructure freelancing services too. This should build your confidence to offer services offline to organizations in your and neighboring locations.

5. Cyber Security Services

If you have the inclination to dive deep into technology, then you can offer cyber security services as an aside or a different line of business. I am just writing a sentence on cyber security as you can read about it in the very detailed and ultimate guide on cyber-security freelancing.

One recommended start-point for getting such jobs is the leading micro-jobs marketplace fiverr.com. Here remote clients post most of the jobs and don’t require face to face interaction. This is an excellent way to expand your skill set and build your business. Also do register on freelancer.com and others to get more visibility. You must have read the point on marketing in the how-to steps of guide to IT infrastructure freelancing. I also recommend you to read this post on how to be top-rated seller on Fiverr.com

Learn, practice and earn!

The post 5 Most Wanted Server Management Freelancing Services appeared first on How2Freelance.

When I started my IT journey more than 25 years ago, our office had IBM PC ATs with MS-DOS and just 2 or 3 other software applications including the programming language BASIC. The only other peripheral that was common was the dot matrix printer. These PCs were kept in air-conditioned sections of the office where even footwear was not allowed! Those days IT infrastructure was handled by the programmers who used it. No one had separate IT infrastructure management team/s as there are now.

For a few years now, IT infrastructure became a separate vertical in an organization’s technology domain and includes IT hardware, software and facilities. To manage them there are teams with different specialization like server administrators, network specialists, HVAC engineers and so on.

Effect of Tech Advancement on IT Infrastructure Specialist Career

Recent advancements like cloud computing, containers etc have made IT infrastructure management even easier. Furthermore, use of automation tools have reduced mundane administration tasks leading to smaller teams of specialists. DataCenterKnowledge.com has blog posts suggesting that each Google and Facebook admin manages anywhere between 130 and 220 servers! This implies that they have deployed top-of-the-line of automation technology to reduce expensive skilled manpower.

We know of other benefits of tech advancements – lower expenses, higher productivity and so on. But what does it mean for the career of IT Infrastructure engineers and technicians? Rapid strides in infrastructure technology means that today it is easier to manage IT infrastructure given the right tools in the hands of skilled people. So much so, that a skilled person can deploy, configure and manage large IT setups single-handedly as seen in the previous paragraph.

This has given rise to IT infrastructure freelancing – a one man technical army if you please. So if you have the skills in IT infrastructure and are unemployed or need a career change, freelancing is an excellent option for you. It can be a step towards that start-up that you dreamt of having or perhaps a better position and role at your dream company.

Let us explore what IT infrastructure services you can provide as a freelancer.

IT Infrastructure Freelancing Service Offerings

Desktops and Laptops Support

This includes all kinds of desktop computers, laptops, thin clients, zero clients etc. Some organizations can also include mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets in this category. These computing devices are the bare minimum required for any digitization in an organization. Large businesses and conglomerates have their IT infrastructure teams to manage this entire range of hardware. Some of them outsource it to third party vendors thus cutting the number of employees. But, small and medium businesses (SMB) and non-profit organizations may not have the luxury of maintaining such staff on their payroll. This is where as a freelancer you step in and can offer your services. You can provide services like installation, configuration and maintenance including repair or upgrading of components. Start by contacting local schools, clinics, SMBs and offer them these services.

Commonly asked for services are:

• Setup of new computers. This will include installation and configuration of OS (Operating System), other software applications and utilities like anti-virus etc. Many organizations have UAT (User Acceptance Testing) for IT hardware also (besides software applications). Freelancers can help them in testing against the given benchmarks.
• Maintenance service. Maintenance includes repair of components like hard disk (HDD), RAM etc or even upgrading / replacing them. It will also include resolving issues like slow performance of computers, software problems, malware infection etc.
• AMC (Annual Maintenance Service). An extension of the last point and an excellent source of additional revenue is AMC. Persuade clients to hire you for AMC wherein you visit their location periodically, say every quarter (3 months) and check their systems. Use this opportunity to get new contracts and also up-sell or cross-sell other IT products and services.

 IT Peripherals Support

This category includes printers, scanners, projectors, UPS, keyboards, mice, speakers etc. Most organizations will require them and need their installation and maintenance. You can reach out to them directly or through other marketing methods (given below) and offer your services.

Server Management

Servers can be as simple as a tower server in a school or clustered blade servers in a major university. The services for servers are also same viz installation, configuration and maintenance.

But, the difference with desktop / laptop computers is that server management requires a much advanced skill set. Which implies a steeper learning curve, but also higher pay for your services. Let me explain this further – let us say a school awards you a contract for provision of an e-Learning solution at a low cost. You setup a LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) server, then install an open source LMS (Learning Management System) called Moodle and other related applications. Your low cost solution is then accessible by teachers and students on the school’s private network.

This requires knowledge of not only the OS (Linux) administration but also the LAMP stack’s other components. This does not mean that IT infrastructure freelancing requires you to be an expert in various programming languages. You need to know the basics at least so that setting up and configuration can be done.

One recommended start-point for getting such jobs is the leading micro-jobs marketplace fiverr.com. Here most of the jobs are posted by remote clients and don’t require face to face interaction. This is an excellent way to expand your skillset and build your business.

Further Reading: For a more detailed insight into freelancing for server administration services or support.

Network Engineering Support

Network tech support involves setting up, configuring and maintaining of routers, switches, access points etc. Here the only issue is that practice will require you to attend labs at local training centers your town or city. Since you will attend courses at a training center, my recommendation is that you should get related certifications too like CCNA.

Cabling & Facilities Support

Cabling includes OFC (Optical Fiber Cable), copper (UTP / STP) cable and even electrical cabling. You can learn and practice copper and electrical cabling at home. But OFC requires expensive joining and diagnostic devices and tools. This training will be able at a local institute in a major city. Freelancers can begin offering cabling services to network support vendors. You can also partner with system integrators and network device vendors.

Coming to IT Facilities Management – it’s objective is to manage the physical environment where the IT infrastructure is deployed. This includes electrical power, HVAC (heat, ventilation and cooling), fire protection, lightning protection etc. As a freelancer you can provide electrical earthing solutions, electrical solutions, fire retardants and device racks and railings.

Value Addition is a Win-Win

What separates you from other freelancers / vendors who offer matching services at similar pricing and quality? Go the extra mile for your clients and they will be loyal to you. Some of these value additions can be pro-bono (free / no cost). For example, help clients identify the best technical device that meets their requirement and is also within their budget.

What can you gain out of this? Firstly, you will remain their most valuable resource and the go-to guy. Which means you will be first in the reckoning to get more projects. Secondly, the client will refer you to others – an excellent means of marketing. Lastly, you can still get paid (in some instances) if you have partnered with suppliers and vendors. That is, once you help the client identify the product/s, then refer them to the vendor who will gladly pay you for the sales lead. See the next section on partnership.

Tie-ups / Partnerships

You can partner with local hardware and software distributors or vendors. With increasing competition from online marketplaces, they will be only too happy if you give them “sales leads” from your clients. That is, you are acting like a salesperson for these distributors and vendors who will compensate you for every sale facilitated by you.

Also consider tie-ups with other freelancers who offer complementing services. For example, if you are into server support freelancing, then partner with web developers or web design studios.

How to Start IT Infrastructure Freelancing?

Step 1 – Identify your Specialty / Niche

By now, you should have an idea as to what you are good at or what you can accomplish. Research more about potential freelance opportunities by going to online freelance marketplaces like freelancer.com and fiverr.com. Look for the in-demand skills, most common requirements, their payouts, the competition. Write down your observations and compare. This should enable you to decide which niche you want to start with. Note that I wrote “start with”. You can always add / switch to other niches once you get a client base and achieve your target of positive ratings and reviews.

Step 2- Gap analysis

Check for gaps in the level of service you want to provide and capabilities you have. If you fall short of skills or practice, go to portals like Udemy.com, learn and practice.

Step 3 – Register

You should register on online freelance marketplaces like freelancer.com and fiverr.com. Also, depending on local regulations, register your business with the governing authorities. In India, it is advisable to begin as a Proprietorship with GST registration. Consider registering for a PayPal account (for receiving international payments) and other payment gateways in your country.

Step 4 – Marketing

Your marketing campaign should be offline and online. And, it should never stop. Leverage offline media like newspaper ads, Yellow Pages, poster etc. Consider other direct marketing channels like cold-calling potential clients, visiting their offices and emailing them. Online marketing requires some work too. Use online classifieds like JustDial, OLX, Craigslist etc. Look into setting up an account on ‘Google My Business’, Facebook Pages and even a LinkedIn page.

Why not appear to be a professional setup by creating your website at a cost less than that of a burger??!!

Step 5 – Clinch the Deal

Marketing is just the start of your communication with potential customers. To convert it into a sale, show them what value your services bring to them. Is your service economical than others? Or more reliable (so no recurring costs to them)? Do you offer value addition that others don’t? Make it about the client delight and you will see they will keep coming to you.

Conclusion

I hope you have learnt how to leverage your skills for IT infrastructure freelancing and achieve your life goals. Let this be a step towards a bigger venture. Or if you want a corporate career, build an awesome CV / resume by adding on more skills and experience as you freelance. Most recruiters will take a positive note of your entrepreneurial spirit and the growth mindset. Go forth and conquer!

The post Guide to IT Infrastructure Freelancing appeared first on How2Freelance.

What is Graphic Design?

Renowned American graphic designer Saul Bass said that, “Design is thinking made visual.” An excellent way to sum up what graphic design does! As per Wikipedia, graphic design is the process of visual communication and problem-solving through the use of typography, photography and illustration. Let us deconstruct the definition to understand even better.

Firstly, it is a process – it should follow norms that have origins in creative arts, in many cases based on scientific studies. Next, it is about visual communication. We know the adage “a picture is worth 1000 words.” Good graphic designers will communicate the message easily through their work. An excellent example of this is the McDonald’s logo which is simple yet appealing and can be identified easily. Great designers listen, observe, understand, and dig into problems to get insights that enables them create visuals which were seemingly invisible to the rest of us. For example, if a product manual has simple illustrations of the product usage, there will be fewer calls to customer service. Last part is about their tools – viz typography (wrongly dismissed as use of fonts) , photos / images and illustration in the form of sketches, digital graphics etc.

Can I be a Graphic Design Freelancer?

If you think that graphic design is only for the born artist-types, then you are wrong. Graphic design can be learnt…even online. If you’ve a willingness to invest time and energy into learning, then you can be a successful graphic design freelancer. Besides that you need:

• A good desktop or laptop computer. Designing on phones and tablets is still a long way…
• Graphic design software like Adobe suite etc. If you cannot afford them, initially go for free (open source) alternatives like Gimp or Pixlr among many.
• Internet connection – required to source creatives like stock photos, fonts etc
• A creative mind!

What are the Different Types of Graphic Design Work?

Organizations hire graphic design freelancers or studios for work ranging from simple letterhead design to brand-identity or UI design. Let us look at the different types of projects a graphic design freelancer can work on.

Brand Identity Design

Businesses need to project a certain image of their entity – how it would like to be seen by their customers. That was a simplistic view of the word “Brand”. The famous American author Seth Godin defines brand as “a set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another.” Brand identity is the message communicated via the brand name, logo, typography, colors, packaging etc. Brand identity design uses the creative process to create a visual component of a brand that represents the personality and essence, as well as emotions and experiences.

Let’s take Apple Inc’s brand identity as an example. It’s distinctive ‘slightly bitten apple’ logo has changed only in colour – from the rainbow hues to the present grayscale one. You can see the consistency of design philosophy extend to Apple’s products, website and apps even brochures, posters etc. Hence, the mere mention of Apple conjures it’s distinctive products easily.

For graphic design freelancers, brand identity design includes designing logos, business cards and other corporate stationery. This is the bare minimum required. Top graphic designers will also develop style guides that give guidelines on typography, color palettes, images etc to ensure brand consistency.

Publication Graphic Design

Publications are used by organizations to communicate with their intended audience. For example, a bank may communicate with existing and potential customers using print / email newsletters, brochures and annual reports. These publications will be effective if they are well written and well designed. Now designing does not mean only aesthetics and pleasant looks. Layout is extremely important as it guides the reader to important sections of the publication. Moreover, well positioned call to action (CTA) graphics will nudge readers to take the intended action e.g. invest in a new mutual fund.

Publication design includes designing reports, books / ebooks, newsletters (print and digital), magazines, catalogs and many more. Most common tools used for this are Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Indesign and QuarkXPress which will cost hundreds of dollars. Of course there are free / open source tools that you can use in the beginning.

Marketing Graphic Design

Businesses need marketing to engage with target customers and nudge them to make the intended decision to say, buy their product. Besides the copywriting (text), successful marketing uses typography, colour psychology, layouts and images to engage with target demographic. Designers need to have an understanding of the target audience’s aspirations, desires and other aspects to nail the design.

Designers usually get a design brief (marketing objectives and the design assets required) from company’s marketing experts / business owners. Graphic designers may work alone or as a complementing member of the company’s creative team.

Marketing graphic design includes creating assets for both print and digital or online media. They may be brochures, flyers, ads, posters, banners, billboards, infographics, signage, email marketing templates, PowerPoint presentations etc.

The tools remain similar to the ones mentioned before plus MS PowerPoint.

UI (User Interface) Graphic Design

UI (User Interface) is a software based or physical system that allows a user to interact with a given technology. For example, your smart phone has UI components like icons which on clicking will open the corresponding app. Therefore UI design is the design of user interfaces for devices and software, such as computers, mobile devices, and other electronic appliances etc with the aim of optimizing usability and the user experience. An ideal UI will be intuitive and “not make the user think” (from the book title “Don’t Make Me Think” by Steve Krug about human–computer interaction and web usability).

UI design includes design of icons, web site design, desktop or web application interfaces, app design and more. Advanced UI designers also create workflows, wireframes and other UX components. While graphic design tools remain the same, you will need to learn technologies like HTML5, CSS and maybe even Javascript and it’s newer avatars like React.js / React Native.

Miscellaneous Graphic Design

This may include design for product packages, t-shirt / mug, corporate gifts, wayfinding (directions, signages etc), invitation cards, CD/DVD artwork and even restaurant menus.

How can Graphic Design Freelancer Get Work?

Graphic designers can get work offline as well as online. In the offline mode, you can approach various design studios and consultants. If you have a website or online portfolio to showcase your work and skills, companies can approach you through that channel. You should also bid on the various online freelance marketplaces and digital goods marketplaces. These posts explain in detail on the working of online marketplaces.

Graphic design is an ever-growing field, and the demand for skilled graphic design freelancer will always remain. Being a creative field, graphic design is not likely to be automated anytime soon and so is an excellent career option. Here’s wishing you a happy, creative life!

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