Corporate Cranium Mentor Articles

Three Reasons Website Maintenance is Critical

By Suzie Meier - Red Technologies Inc. | July 25, 2019

If you are a valued client of Red Technologies, or just a fan of our blog (and who isn’t?!), you’ve heard us regularly recommend updating your website.  But what does this really mean?  And why, after spending so much effort creating a cool website, would you need to turn around and update it every month?

Your website is often the first impression clients will receive, so it’s crucial to make it a good one. Here are three big reasons why maintaining your website monthly will earn you a big return on your investment:

  1. Security. If your website is hacked, it will cause issues for both your business and your clients. Not only is there the possibility of vital information being stolen, but also the threat of a loss of trust from your clients and online community. Sites are often hacked due to weaknesses from an out-of-date framework or plugin. Ensure you are using a reputable platform that is updated regularly and provides security features. Our web developers utilize WordPress, as it is secure, easy to use, updated often, and well supported by the web development industry. In addition to the threat of hacking, popular search engines are constantly updating their algorithms to provide the best search results. By updating your website and addressing the upgrades, you are maintaining (even increasing) your site’s ranking.
  2. Content. Update your website content often to increase SEO, and convert site visitors into users. Customers are looking at the material you are producing to form opinions and gain confidence in your brand. It is vital that your site is adding value to their experience by offering a variety of messages and highlighting any services. By effectively communicating to your target market and providing useful content, you are demonstrating that your company is knowledgeable, trustworthy, and worth their business.
  3. Design. You may offer a secure website with incredible content, but if it is hard to read, not mobile friendly or difficult to navigate, it’s unlikely you will increase traffic or sales. A poorly designed website is a turn-off to potential clients, and may cause them to leave your site before even giving you a chance to feature your business. Maintaining your site regularly offers a chance to customize your site design around the needs of your clients and provide a better user experience.

If your online marketing goals include gaining trust, increasing web traffic and conversion rates, building your brand, and providing a positive customer experience, it is imperative you update your website monthly.

Red Technologies is devoted to creating and maintaining strong websites for our clients. If you do not currently update your site regularly and want to start, or have additional questions, please email info@redtechnologiesinc.com.

Check us out and catch up on our blog today!

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Why Have Experience Rating on Worker’s Compensation?

By Gary Sorenson, Insurance Brokers of Minnesota / December 1, 2012

If workers compensation rates are designed to predict future losses, why use experience rating?  How does experience rating benefit employers?  Implicit in most risk-specific programs of experience rating is the prospect of both debits and credits. Since experience rating gives individual employers some influence over the final premium they pay, it provides an  incentive for…

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The Key to Business Success and Financial Independence is…Leverage!

By Kelli Hoskins, Master Business Coach / December 1, 2012

One of the biggest keys to business success is…leverage.  John D. Rockefeller famously said “I would rather earn 1% off 100 people’s efforts than 100% of my own efforts.”  As one of the founders of Standard Oil and the richest man of his time, John D. Rockefeller had successfully mastered the game of business through…

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Should Arbitration Be a Part of Your Contracts?

By Bob Halagan, Halagan Law Firm, LTD. / December 1, 2012

The cost of legal fees in resolving disputes remains one of the biggest challenges in managing your business.  Disputes that are over the minimum you can bring in conciliation court (generally $7,500 – $10,000 depending on the court) and less than $50,000 can net you a legal bill higher than the amount you recover.  Are…

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With All the Congress Uncertainty, Can We Provide Planning for Year-End 2012? Yes-And This Year It is Necessary

By Roben Hunter, Hunter Advisors, PLLC / December 1, 2012

In the 22 years of service I have provided as an advisor, I have not seen any year more complex that this one.  My suggestion is to get to your advisors, sooner rather than later, for 2012/2013 planning.  For example, unless something is done in Congress, the federal individual income tax rates themselves will increase…

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Understanding the Overall “Climate” in Your Office

By Sheri Stolp, The Stolp Group / September 1, 2012

Most business owners have a good understanding of things like cash flow, business prospects, sales and other tangible measurements. To truly have a finger on the pulse of the business, however, you’ve got to understand what’s going on in terms of employee morale. As a business grows, that can be harder and harder to gauge.…

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Need to Set Goals for Your Business, Here’s How

By Kelli Hoskins, Master Business Coach / September 1, 2012

As a small business owner, do you find that you are easily achieving the results you planned in your business? Do you find that you have intentions and goals that you are not able to accomplish? Are you inconsistent in your ability to achieve your business goals? If you are like many small business owners,…

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Effective Employee Discipline (Or How to Fire an Employee Without Getting Sued)

By Bob Halagan, Halagan Law Firm, LTD. / September 1, 2012

One of the most unpleasant tasks for a business owner is confronting the non-productive or misbehaving employee.  Employees are a company’s most valuable resource but they can also be a sinkhole of wasted costs, time and resources if the “rotten apple” isn’t quickly pruned.  Here are some approaches to consider when handling the employee in…

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Do’s and Don’ts for Business Sellers

By Bob Halagan, Halagan Law Firm, LTD. / July 1, 2012

If you are thinking that about selling your business, there is a long checklist of things to do to get ready for a sale.  Here is a list of some of the things you should consider: Packaging Your Business for Sale DO spend time with your accountant to make sure your financials are in acceptable…

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A Look to the Future

By Roben Hunter, Hunter Advisors, PLLC / July 1, 2012

None of us know what November will bring.  Congress, no matter who takes over, can’t seem to agree on anything except to blame the other side for things that can’t get done or go wrong.  As a CPA and attorney, I am quite tired of trying to plan an effective strategy with my clients with…

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Increase Revenue in Your Small Business…Then Don’t Focus on Sales

By Kelli Hoskins, Master Business Coach / May 1, 2012

Small business owners focus getting on new customers and making new sales but leave money on the table with their existing customer base. If your business goal is to increase revenue, I’m guessing the number one thing you are focusing on is how to get more customers or how to get more sales.  This may…

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Independent Contractors vs. Employees

By Roben Hunter, Hunter Advisors, PLLC / May 1, 2012

For many years the IRS has been scrutinizing the distinction between Independent Contractors and Employees for businesses.  Business owners would prefer the workers categorized as independent contractors.  Some of the reasons are as follows: Independent contractors are not covered by workers’ compensation or unemployment; Businesses do not need to withhold payroll tax on the earnings…

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Building Performance Pay Into a Union Contract

By Bob Halagan, Halagan Law Firm, LTD. / March 1, 2012

One of the biggest criticisms of unions is the concept that they reward the poorest performer while failing to adequately compensate the best performers.  Union contracts typically have a one-size fits all pay scale that applies to everyone in particular classification (ex. every mechanic gets paid the same wage).  Some union contracts focus on seniority;…

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Who Wants to be You?

By Gary Sorenson, Insurance Brokers of Minnesota / March 1, 2012

Nine million. That’s how many Americans have their identities stolen each year, estimates the Federal Trade Commission. Identity Theft a Common Risk From January 2005 until November 2011, a staggering 543 million personal records were breached, reported the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. The FTC noted that, in half of the criminal incidents in 2005, thieves obtained goods…

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Changes to United States Patent Law Fees

By Michael Sherrill, Sherrill Law Offices / March 1, 2012

The Federal Government instituted sweeping changes to United States Patent Law this past fall with enactment of the “America Invents Act” (“The Act”).  The ten aspects of The Act which will likely have the biggest impact upon small and startup businesses were listed in the January issue of Corporate Cranium.  The first of these aspects…

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Taxes…Taxes – What to Know for 2012 Planning

By Roben Hunter, Hunter Advisors, PLLC / January 1, 2012

Although much of the tax returns look the same as last year, there are a few items that you should be aware of that will affect your 2012 tax planning.  The following tax provisions for individuals have been extended through 2012: Capital gain tax rate of 15% for both regular tax and alternative minimum tax…

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Changes to United States Patent Law: Win, Lose or Draw for Small and Startup Businesses

By Michael Sherrill, Sherrill Law Offices / January 1, 2012

The Federal Government instituted sweeping changes to United States Patent Law this past fall with enactment of the “America Invents Act”.  While many of the substantive changes do not take effect until fall of 2012, it is important to understand the likely consequences, both intended and unintended, of these changes in order to avoid costly…

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New Increases for Social Security in 2012

By Roben Hunter, Hunter Advisors, PLLC / November 1, 2011

There are new increases in Social Security that have been recently announced, both for the recipients and the employee/employers currently paying into the system.  For those of us paying into Social Security in 2012, the Social Security tax will be payable on the first $110,100 of income received per person in 2012, which is an…

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Chapter 4: When to Patent

By Michael Sherrill, Sherrill Law Offices / November 1, 2011

You’ve just come up with an idea for a new product or process or an improvement on an existing product or process.  You’re convinced that if this invention works the way you think it will, you’ll be rich beyond your wildest dreams.  You know that you need to patent this invention to prevent competitors from…

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New Exclusions from Minnesota Estate Tax

By Roben Hunter, Hunter Advisors, PLLC / September 1, 2011

At the end of 2010, the federal estate tax exemption amount was increased to $5 million, which means that up to $5 million dollars worth of assets can pass from an individual to others at death without incurring a federal estate tax.  Unfortunately, Minnesota did not adopt the federal exemption amount but instead has continue…

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Designing an Effective Compensation Plan that Rewards Performance

By Bob Halagan, Halagan Law Firm, LTD. / July 1, 2011

I recently negotiated a labor agreement on behalf of an electric cooperative in which all of the compensation was based on achieving certain performance standards.  This type of compensation plan is extremely rare for a unionized company and reflects an approach to compensation that can serve as a model for non-union employers as well. The…

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