Author: Amanda Oliver

To maintain and increase your business competitive position, it's imperative that you stay on top of emerging trends within your industry. Whether you are a manager, designer, programmer, lawyer or an accountant, if you want to be a top performer you will need to keep up to date with relevant news, technologies, and business developments. Learning doesn't need to stop once you finish school; if anything our diplomas and degrees  are the stepping stones for the rest of our learning. If you have worked in an industry for decades, it is sometimes good to step out of your comfort zone and look ...

This is the very thing I recently faced with my own business. I had been running a business independently for many years. I had a good flow of work and was progressing nicely. Then I fell pregnant and my life changed. Not only my personal life, but I was noticing changes within my industry. I am an all-round graphic designer and web developer. I noticed I was heavily focusing on one particular part of my business and had neglected my skill sets in another. When I was ready to return to work and increase my work load after having my child, I realised I was behind the times in an area I shoul...

Online marketing, also known as Internet or digital marketing, involves using the Internet to promote your business. The goal of online marketing is to spread awareness about your business and its products or services via the Internet. The bigger picture of online marketing involves: Search Engine Optimisation (SEO): Optimising your website to appear higher in search engines. Paid by click advertising in search engines. The little ads you see when you do a Google search. Paid-for inclusions on other people's websites and web pages; these also include RSS feeds. Directories & Listin...

So you have decided to make the big step and start up a small business from home. Starting a business from home is a great opportunity to start a new and exciting career. Working from home offers flexibility and convenience if you are trying to balance work and family life. So what are some tips to get yourself going if you are starting up a small business from home. Choose the right business for your skills. You are likely to thrive and have more drive and excitement for your business if it's an area you have expertise in and are passionate about. Establish an original brand: Creating...

A change to Google’s algorithm will give preference to mobile-friendly websites. As mobile overtakes desktop usage, and statistics show 70% of mobile searches lead to online action within an hour, having an impactful mobile presence for your brand is imperative. We know it, how often are we out and about using our smartphones to navigate around our facebook and twitter accounts, using our smartphone to check emails and look up business websites on our phone? We are relying more on our portable devices more than ever. So with the announcement of Google putting mobile users first should be n...