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3 common mistakes businesses are making on-line in 2020

3 common mistakes businesses are making on-line in 2020

By Forward Web 09 August, 2020

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1. Having a social media presence, without having a website.

The common scenario goes like this. “I have a facebook or instagram and its free, why do I need a website?”
 
This is a common trap most small businesses fall into, especially if they have a niche business or if the business is in a market with little to no competition. Or maybe, the business owner is a social marketing whiz, posting great and engaging content that convert into sales/leads. Sound familiar?

 

Where this usually becomes a problem is if/when the social media platform being utilized changes algorithms and decides to stop showing that businesses content to its viewers. Maybe the business fall’s victim to a hack and they lose their page entirely (happens more often then you think) or what if a competitor decides to target that businesses audience through paid ads (slowly, but surely siphoning their audience). What then?

 

The simple answer here is ensuring you’re business has a website that serves as the end point for all of it’s Internet traffic. Social media absolutely should be used in 2020, however social media should serve as an on-ramp to the business website, not the final destination.

 

2. Having a website that serves no purpose.

If the business website does not serve a purpose, that business will be sending traffic to a dead end. Whether the business is selling products, collecting information (generating leads) or promoting a cause or event, the website should be centered around the user experience. This can range from having an integrated easy to use payment system or simply a website that provides useful, easy to read content across all devices.

 
Although the purpose will be different from business to business, the general idea is not letting the website become an after thought.

 

3. Not having control of the platform the website is created on.

Building a website through services like WIXX, Squarespace, Shopify to name a few, are attractive to some business owners because they serve as cheap, entry level way of getting onto the internet. However, outside of being able to manage content, the business has no control over the platform that the website relies on. Why is this a problem? Imagine a scenario where a conflict between the business and one of these service providers lead to the website being taken offline? Or, what if the business simply becomes unhappy with other elements of the service like downtime, or the inability to fully customize? The only solution at that point would be for the business to start fresh, on a new platform.

 

The simple solution is open-source. What ever platform or engine is driving the website of a business, that platform should be open source and not tied to any specific service provider. WordPress is one example of an open source platform that allows anyone to manage the content of the website (code free) but does not tie the business to any specific service provider. Since the code is open source, the business will be able to customize the functions and user experience when needed. As an added bonus, the cost of getting a starter website up and running on a open source platform like WordPress is similar to getting a web site set-up on services like WIXX, Squarespace, Shopify..ect

 

If you have found this information useful, feel free to drop us a comment or message.

FORWARD WEB CORE

Meet our core team members.

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Fernando D. Alfaro

FOUNDER / LEAD DEV

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Fernando D. Alfaro

FOUNDER / LEAD DEV

Husband, Brother, Son, Friend, father to our son Amadeus and various fur-babies, oh and business owner/entrepreneur.

What I love most about what we do here at Forward Web is the problem solving component. The internet is always changing and everything can always be improved (which keeps things exciting for me). My goal here at Forward Web is to create the most efficient web platforms possible, empowering the end user to either spend less time on the internet or to solve some form of inefficiencies that exist within the business through the web (think automation, but not necessarily limited to automation).

I have a deep fascination with A.I (Artificial Intelligence) and decentralized platforms. However outside of the internet I enjoy listening to music, working on various side projects and boxing (yes, boxing).

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Julia Alfaro

Creative / Accounts

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Julia Alfaro

Creative / Accounts

Helping people has always been a passion of mine. People are interesting to me. In fact, I believe that everyone is like a book because we all have a story to tell. I gain great satisfaction in knowing that I am able to make someone’s day, life or business a little better, even if it’s just by sharing a smile or a little positivity.

I strive to be a professional woman, I take pride in that. I am very hardworking, kind, intelligent and ambitious. I am a dreamer; I have very high hopes, dreams and goals. I am talented, creative and funny, with a great imagination! I am not perfect, I accept that, but I do tend to be a perfectionist (that can sometimes be a good thing or a bad thing). But in reality, I am a work in progress and I am learning to live life one day at a time.

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Branden Tobin

Customer Relations

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Branden Tobin

Customer Relations

Branden spent 7 years in the gaming industry as a quality assurance specialist and product design consultant. After becoming a
customer at Forward Web in 2013 and experiencing the great services and company values first hand. When the opportunity came up to help improve client experiences at Forward Web, Branden did not hesitate to get involved. “My goal is to help people, and in terms of the web, Forward web is the best place for me to do that”.

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Ankur Kavathiya

Project Manager

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Ankur Kavathiya

Project Manager

With a vast knowledge in IOS/Android app development, as well as various web applications. My experience allows me to ensure projects at Forward Web are on-time, as well as meeting various Quality Assurance checks.

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Ramani Chintan

Back-End Dev

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Ramani Chintan

Back-End Dev

I have over 6 years experience in web development. With Forward Web I primarily work on back-end development which includes the customization of various CMS or Shopping Cart platforms like Magento where I am able to use my experience and knowledge in PHP, JQuery and other relevant languages.

When im not working on projects with Forward Web, I enjoy spending time with my lovely wife Nidhi, married on 3/13/2019

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Nevin Davis

Systems

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Nevin Davis

Systems

I have a degree  in Computer Science and Engineering. I’m a redhat certified engineer with 8 years of experience as a server administrator. I’ve been working with Forward Web for close to 4 years now and I am primarily responsible for the securing and optimization of our network as well as general management of our dedicated servers.

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Franny Kenney

Media Specialist

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Franny Kenney

Media Specialist

California’s Central Valley based photographer; Frances (Franny) Kenney completed her Associate degree in Photography at Modesto Junior College in 2017. She is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in photography at California State University Sacramento and is on track to graduate in May of 2021. Franny is a licensed commercial drone operator. She is highly motivated and has a strong work ethic. Over the past three years Franny has been working and volunteering as a lab technician at the photo lab on the Modesto Junior College campus.

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Brandon Miltsch

Advisor

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Brandon Miltsch

Advisor

During my 15+ year marketing and sales career, I have gained unique expertise and achieved significant accomplishments for leadership brands in the technology and communications industries.

With a solid Oracle track record with both the Social and Marketing Cloud – along with over 15 years of digital agency experience and a successful sales record at NTT/Verio – BrandON brings a strong mix of expertise and business development skills to the Oracle team. BrandON has also been thrilled to speak at several engagements monthly internally and externally, further illustrating his passion and desire for Oracle executives to optimize and promote their “personal brands”, teaching Social Media and Networking skills. Outside of work, Brandon enjoys spending time with his wife Christina and their 5-year old son, Riley. He is also excited to announce the release his new book, Networking on üBER Steroids.

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