The training will explain:

• How to avoid and how to fix the most common mistakes made by small business owners in their AdWords accounts.
• How to identify where a business is leaking cash.
• The one essential thing you MUST do every week in your Adwords account to stop your business losing cash.
• How to create great AdWords adverts that convert, plus insider secrets on how to set up an AdWords account that generates leads consistently.
• How to prevent competitors from ever seeing your Adverts which stops them from clicking on them repeatedly!

Claire’s area of expertise is Internet Marketing and as a leading authority on Google Adwords, her client portfolio covers most industries including Fashion, Finance, Furniture and Skincare. She’s managed AdWords budgets from £2 to £5,000 per day and has built and sold her own AdWords Management Agency. Claire has assisted and trained thousands of businesses in getting the most from their AdWords accounts and her advice is second to none!

Make your Google Adwords campaign a success for FREE – register now.

Here, Sally Tomkotowicz, Customer Acquisition Marketing Manager, Register365, shares her top tips to help you gain and retain new customers for your business online:

1)    Keep the blog post as short as possible- it doesn’t need to be a long essay, just make your point.
2)    Keep it topical (where possible try making your point using an issue that is current).
3)    Optimise keywords – if you want your blog post to be found, try to work the important keywords (the ones that a typical user might use if they were searching on the topic) into the blog heading, the first paragraph and your keyword tags. Make sure you categorise and tag your blog post once it is done.
4)    Include hyperlinks (simply the web addresses of other relevant content) – links to your website, links to the writer’s LinkedIn Account, links to other resources on the web.
5)    Identifying the content you need in your blog posts may sound obvious, but some blogs lose readers and focus over time because they end up talking about irrelevant topics, and overusing technical jargon. (No matter how interesting irrelevant subjects seem, stick to the subjects your company deals with!)
6)    Get interesting, varied guest bloggers involved from time to time – you can even get your customers involved! Outsourcing can give posts a fresh take on different subjects and be of great interest to your readers. It can also help you out when business becomes busier.

Some common mistakes to watch out for:

Seeing blogging as a direct sales tool. The blog is about building a voice for your brand, brand exposure, improving SEO to your website, setting yourself up as an expert in your field.  Many people give up on blogs if they are not seeing a huge increase in sales.  This is a mistake- you need to be patient!

Often you will see people practically including a press release as a blog post or writing them as if they were an advert – this won’t work!

Another big mistake we see people make is thinking that the job is done once the blog post is written. Now you need to find an audience and social media is a great way to build an audience for your hard work.

Key emerging trends:

One of the key things we are seeing at the moment, is the move away from cheap SEO content for blogging and push towards high quality rich content and storytelling.  This means Irish businesses are thinking more about the content they put on their blog, especially if they currently pay someone to do it for them.

More than ever, the variety of your online content affects how many readers you can draw in. The wider the range of images, video clips and text, the better chance you have of pulling in more visitors. YouTube is so popular and attracts 1.6 billion viewers monthly because it manages to integrate so much and feeds this back to the user.

With social media becoming such a congested place (over 2.2 million people use Facebook in Ireland) a great way to stand out is to use these channels to bring readers material that is much deeper and richer than regular status updates. Let the status update be the ‘hook’ that will attract the reader to your material, where you can really demonstrate your expertise and show the personality of you and your business.

One final tip is to find the right blogging tool – view our range of simple to use blogging apps to get started today. Enjoy giving your blog a boost!

FREE With Every Domain from Register365:

•    Email Account & Forwarding
•    Domain Fowarding
•    Web Page Creator
•    Advanced DNS Control
•    Expert Advice
•    Online Control Panel

Why .COM?

•    COM is No.1 most popular domain extension in the world.
•    COM is recognized internationally and gives your identity a global, dynamic edge.
•    COM can be used for any business or personal use.
•    Securing your domain for longer not only saves you money, but also takes the hassle out of renewals.

Defend Your Online Assets

Registering your domain in more than one major extension ensures nobody else gets there first. This is the best way to protect your name – one domain may not give adequate online protection.

Visit our website today and get €5 of your .COM!

IEDR, the IE Domain Registry has asked Register365 to make a final call to all Irish small businesses and micro enterprises to apply for a share of the 2013 OPTIMISE e-Commerce and Website Development Fund.

The closing date for applications has been extended to midnight on Thursday 2nd May 2013.

IEDR’s OPTIMISE Fund will provide twenty small business owners with a combined €150,000 worth of support services delivered via consultation, training and e-commerce developments to the winners’ websites to improve and develop their existing online presence. The Fund covers e-commerce capability and functionality, helping small businesses benefit from e-Commerce features such as real-time payments, online catalogues, order processing and booking facilities. With Global ecommerce sales predicted to pass the $1.25 trillion mark in 2013, there has never been a better time to invest in your online presence and expand your customer reach.

Further details and the online application form are available here

Urging Irish companies to apply, David Curtin, Chief Executive of IE Domain Registry, said: “I would encourage any small business owner with a .ie website looking for practical, step-by-step support to grow their business online to apply for a place on this year’s OPTIMISE Fund. Previous winners of the OPTIMISE Fund are already reaping the benefits of being able to make the most of the Internet’s 24 hour sales channel, resulting in new customer enquiries and increased sales and growth.”

An unusually large botnet, made up of over 90,000 IP addresses is responsible for the brute-force password guessing attacks that are targeting poorly secured WordPress sites. Online security experts have warned that this escalating series of attacks is behind the botnet’s growth.  You can read more about this on the BBC website.

The issue surrounds the username ‘admin’, which is automatically issued to you when you set up a new WordPress installation.  The botnet can target ‘admin’ usernames and guess passwords using a brute-force attack to gain access.

Out of the world’s total websites, currently there are 64 million WordPress sites read by a staggering 371 million people every month, that’s 17.6%!(source: W3Techs).

Following a thorough investigation and initial lock-down of WordPress sites on our hosting cluster, we reported last Friday that our System Administrators had put new security measures in place and our servers were stable, enabling customers to access their WordPress sites as normal. We can confirm there were no reported issues over the weekend and our systems are operating as normal.

Due to the complex, changing and global nature of this issue which impacts many web hosting providers, we will continue to closely monitor our systems and ensure that service remains acceptable. In the meantime, we have some advice on how to make your WordPress website more secure:

1. Change your WordPress admin username

Take a look at our Support Centre article on How to change a WordPress admin username

2. Change your WordPress password

• Immediately change your passwords to the WordPress admin area.

• Your password should be at least 30 characters and MUST have all of: uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. A good way to come up with a strong password that you can still remember is take a long phrase, song lyrics, a poem, similar, and replace certain letters with uppercase, numbers, and special characters.

• for example the relatively strong password: th1$l1ttl3p1ggy$3cur3dth31rW0rdpr3$$$1t3 is simply “thislittlepiggysecuredtheirWordpresssite” with i->1, s->$, e=3, and o->0 (zero)

• Scan your computer for viruses, keyloggers, rootkits, and botnet software.

• Do the same scans for any computer that has had access to your site admin area.

• Update WordPress and all plugins to the latest versions.

3. Upgrading your WordPress Installation

The people who write WordPress have tried to make upgrading as easy as possible, with all the work done behind the scenes, so you don’t need to know how to write code, or bother with replacing files by hand.

Before upgrading, we recommend that you back up your website and database – this will ensure that if the upgrade causes problems, then you have a copy of the original data to restore. It’s very rare to see any issues when you’re upgrading WordPress, as it’s used by so many people, but it’s better to be safe than sorry!

If the version you currently have installed is version 2.2 or higher, then all you need to do is log into your WordPress admin panel and click on the Upgrade link. The upgrade process is automatic – all you need to do is follow the instructions on the screen, and your site will then be using the latest version.

If the version of WordPress you’re running is older than version 2.2, you will need to upgrade manually. More details can be found at the main WordPress site www.wordpress.org on upgrading from your current version to the latest.

You should also upgrade any themes and plugins you are using, so that they are also at the latest versions. As with the main WordPress code, updated plugins and themes will also contain many security and bug fixes. This will help detect and prevent any unauthorised attempts to log in to WordPress.

4. Recommended Plugins

We recommend using the following plugins as a minimum on your WordPress site:

Change Uploaded File Permissions – This plugin fixes an issue some WordPress users experience when uploading pictures through the built-in Media Manager. This plugin has been updated to run with all versions of WordPress by one of our own staff!

TimThumb Vulnerability Scanner – This plug checks the image manipulation script timthumb.php, which is used in many themes and plugins, and makes sure it is up-to-date. Older versions of timthumb.php contained a lot of security bugs, and have been fixed in the new versions

Akismet – This anti-spam plugin comes with WordPress, and protects comments from being filled with junk, but you need an activation key to use it. The easiest way to get one is to create an account at http://www.wordpress.com – you get an Akismet key when you sign up.

Wordfence Security – This is a security plugin that includes a firewall, anti-virus scanning, malicious URL scanning and live traffic including crawlers.

All these plugins can be found by just searching for them by name in the Plugins section of your WordPress admin panel, and are installed and in use with only 3 clicks – Search, Install and Activate!

5. WordPress up-to-date…so what next?

Now that you’ve updated WordPress to the latest version, your website is more protected than it was when it was running the older version. But that’s not all you can do to keep your website safe.

Log into the admin panel regularly – Logging in once a week, even if you don’t have anything to post, will alert you to any future upgrades that are available and need to be applied. Once you get into the habit of logging in on a regular basis, upgrading WordPress and your themes and plugins will become second nature. Your website will be more secure as security loopholes will be patched, and any bugs in the code that the people at WordPress have found will be patched.

Check the Akismet section – Checking the Akismet section of the admin panel regularly will show you any comments that the plugin thinks are spam. You can delete them if they are, and if they’re genuine comments that have been caught (a false-positive), you can mark them as real comments, and Akismet will learn. The more you use Akismet’s features, the more accurate it becomes, and this benefits both you and all other WordPress users. Getting rid of spammy comments also keeps the database behind WordPress clean and efficient, meaning your website will run more smoothly, as it won’t be displaying any unwanted data.

Moderate comments – If you have enabled comments on your WordPress posts and articles, you can set them to either publish immediately, or wait until you’ve approved them. The latter is a safer method, as you have complete control over what gets added to your website, but with both methods you can delete unwanted comments, again trimming down the amount of data in the database.

Add a Captcha plugin – A Captcha is a series of words and numbers shown on screen as a picture. You have to type these into a box when adding a comment to prove you’re a real person, and not a spam-bot (a small script that automates adding nonsense or spammy comments to posts in order to move another website further up a search-engine’s rankings). Adding a Captcha plugin to posts helps prevent this happening. Admittedly, it’s not 100% foolproof, but with this and Akismet, you will stop a lot of unwanted comments being added to your articles.

Only use trusted themes and plugins – There are a lot of themes and plugins for WordPress available out there. The “official” ones can be found right inside the WordPress admin section. When you search for a theme or plugin in the WordPress admin section, you’re downloading it directly from the WordPress Codex – a part of the WordPress website dedicated to these add-ons. They usually have their own support section in the Codex as well, so you can question the plugin or theme’s creators and other users.

Sign up to the WordPress newsletter – WordPress provide a mailing list that will let you know when there are any updates being made, along with other WordPress-related news. You can sign up for this on the official WordPress download page at http://wordpress.org/download/

Please note: Register365 do not provide support for plugins. Support is provided through the plugins’ relevant support channels from either the plugin authors or the WordPress community. Please read the plugins’ documentation for full details.

Our plugin recommendations are for guidelines only to help secure and manage your WordPress site safely.  Alternative plugins are available. Register365 accept no responsibility for any loss or corruption of data arising from the use or non-use of these plugins.

Register365 are in no way affiliated or associated with WordPress or any of the plugins mentioned in this article.

Customers will also get the option to save 40% on Web Hosting, which is basically a home for your website, or on the easy website building tool, SiteMaker, suitable for even the least technical of users. These both include personalised email. Getting a website online has never been easier

The 3 options:

• Free 1 year .COM Domain Name ONLY – Redeem voucher code – this will be received in your confirmation email after you have purchased your formation package

• 40% OFF Advanced Hosting & FREE Domain Name – Including free email accounts, 160+ One-Click Installs (inc. WordPress & Joolma) & our NEW Online Shop!

• 40% OFF SiteMaker & FREE Domain Name – an easy to use website builder packed with everything you need to get online -including 100+ design templates and free email accounts.

How to make the most of your FREE domain:

Naturally, before being able to ensure availability, the first step is coming up with that perfect name. The following should all be considered when naming a company:

Target Market:

Consumers have different expectations for each business. What type of customer is the company trying to attract? The name should reflect this.

Keep it Memorable:

Is the address easy to recall? If not, start again! Integrate keywords. For instance, if you run a small building company make sure you include ‘building’.

Keep it Short:

When selecting a name for your company keep it short and sweet. Short website addresses are easy to type and more importantly, easy to remember.

Be Unique:

Avoid using a similar address to your competitors. Be defensive – purchase multiple versions of your website address, and consider misspellings.

Protect:

Register your website addresses for as long as possible, and don’t let them expire. We also recommend getting multiple extensions, registering a .ie is advisable for all Irish formations.

If you would like more information on the partnership please see: www.irishformations.ie.

Our recent survey on Irish businesses revealed that 68% of small business owners do not register their domain name until after they established their businesses, some even waiting months to do so.

We are joining forces with Irish Formations to help people with new businesses to get started online. Sally Tomkotowicz, Marketing Manager at Register 365 said “In the current economic climate, businesses need to look at their online profile to gain competitive advantage wherever they can, ensuring they own their company name in as many domain names as they can. This is a great opportunity for fledgling businesses to get off to a great start online.”

Mark Hegarty of Irish Formations said “We are delighted to be partnering with Register 365 to offer free domains with every Company Formation and Business Name Registration.  It is so important that new businesses register their domain as quickly as possible once their company or business has been formed or they risk losing the domain to another business or a competitor.  Many people who are starting a new business for the first time will love this offer as it’s just another item which can be quickly taken off their job list, and it’s completely free”

If you would like more information on the partnership please see: www.irishformations.ie or www.register365.com 

What’s changed? 

We started with our logo; the new version is part of a wider branding project within the Dada Group. It’s all about connecting people and the icon within the brackets is the logo that has been with our brands for over 15 years – we’re proud of our history and wanted to retain a sense of familiarity.

The first thing you will notice about our website is its new look, we have revamped visual imagery throughout the site. The homepage is also optimised to help you find the products and information you need quickly and easily – as well as looking great.

The good news is that there’s still more to come, keep an eye out for some more changes soon. In the meantime we’d love to hear what you think of our new logo and website.

Remember, we’re still the same great team with the solutions to help you succeed online!

The startling results don’t end there… a mere 32% of respondents have registered their company name with both facebook and twitter, with 44% admitting they are registered with neither.

Sally Tomkotowicz, Customer Acquisition Marketing Manager for Register365 explained “Irish business owners need to realise how important their domain name is to the success of their business. With so much of today’s business conducted online, your domain name is as important now as your telephone number, so it is a significant oversight not to check for this first. Customers and potential customers will search for your website address every day, so not owning the domain could become a real issue.”

It isn’t all bad news however. Almost a third of businesses surveyed did register their domain name prior to establishing their business with a quarter of businesses stating they built their websites before launching their businesses. 35% had the foresight to register multiple domain names to protect their company name or expand their business.

Sally Tomkotowicz continued: “In the challenging times we live in, businesses need to look at their online profile to gain competitive advantage wherever they can, ensuring they own their company name in as many domain names and on as many social media platforms as they can. This report reveals that a quarter of SMEs surveyed are taking big chances with their brand identity – waiting months after they’ve registered their company name to find out if they can get their name as a .ie or .com and many taking even longer to design and launch their final website. I can’t impress upon businesses how important it is to take ownership of your company name before it’s too late. ”

Our research also showed that 8% of businesses would change their company name, given the opportunity, with 17% admitting they weren’t sure.

As a Register365 customer you will have access to our EXCLUSIVE Fotolia deal: Receive 5 FREE credits to use on up to 5 XS images (perfect for the Internet).  Plus, get 30% extra on your first purchase of Fotolia credits.

Wide choice of categories

People? Food & Drink? Landscape? Business? Fotolia has categories to suit a wide range of needs.  More images are being added all the time so make sure you keep checking back for new inspiration.

Keep your website fresh and enticing

When visitors land on your website you only have a few seconds to captivate them so it’s important to make that first impression really count.  By changing the images on your website from time to time you can keep it fresh and appealing, enticing your audience to delve further.  Remember, pictures can say a thousand words.

How do I get my Fotolia FREE credits?

Redeeming your Fotolia free credits is simple.  Read our guide: How to claim your FREE Fotolia credits.

Already have a Fotolia Account?

Don’t worry, as a customer of Register365 you can get your 30% bonus credits with your next Fotolia credit purchase.