Internet Marketing is growing by the day. In such a situation, it is not enough for a business to have just a website. It is important for this website to be visible to the users and appear in search results when users search for related keywords. With so many companies and websites selling the same products or services as your business, how do you make sure that you get noticed and get more business?This is where Search Engine Optimization (SEO) comes into picture. Many companies are incorporating SEO into their marketing strategies. This raises one more question. Is In-House SEO better or should you Outsource the SEO of your website to an agency? What are the pros and cons of getting the SEO of your website done In-House as compared to outsourcing your SEO needs? Both In-House SEO and Outsourcing SEO have its pros and cons. Each company needs to look into both these models and then decide based on their needs.Pros of In-House SEO1. An In-House SEO expert will know your business well and hence will understand the nuances of company and its challenges as well.2. Doing your SEO In-House gives you complete control over the strategies and their execution. The SEO expert can be contacted immediately for any changes since he sits in the same office as the other members of the company.3. The In-House SEO expert works only on your website and not on any other websites. This means that the expert can give full attention to your site and can work on improving the rankings of your website.4. Sometimes In-House SEO is lesser expensive that Outsourced SEO agencies.In-House SEO Cons1. SEO is a rapidly changing field. The algorithms of search engines keep changing. One needs to always be updated with the changes. The skills in SEO also keep changing. If you decide to do the SEO of your site In-House, then you need to spend time and sometimes money to learn the new aspects of SEO and keep yourself updated with the changes.2. It may be time consuming if you have to keep up to the trends of the business. And it is important to keep with the trends of the business if you choose to do your SEO In-House. You will also have to pay attention to the overall marketing of your website and may not find the time to update yourself with the latest in SEO. This can result in outdated SEO practices which can further affect your sites ranking.3. SEO requires a number of tools. If you choose to do your SEO In-House, then you need to buy these tools. This can be very expensive. Just having these tools is not enough. You also need to learn how to use them which can further take up a lot of your time.Outsourced SEO Pros1. The biggest advantage of outsourcing your SEO needs to an agency is that you get the expertise of an entire team of SEO experts who will work on your website. Since, it is a team that only works on SEO projects, they will be up to date with the latest trends in business and hence you do not have to spend time or money in getting yourself familiar with these trends. The team will create SEO strategies for your business keeping these trends in mind.2. SEO agencies work with a large number of clients. The advantage of this is that they have the experience of working on different kinds of businesses and understand their needs better. This wide perspective can be a big advantage in getting visibility on the web.3. If you outsource SEO to an agency, you don’t have to spend time, effort and money on hiring an In-House SEO team, training and tools.4. The outsourced SEO agency will not be affected by the pressures of other aspects of marketing your business and can concentrate only on the SEO of your website.5. Outsourcing SEO means faster execution of tasks since you get a team of people working on your website as opposed to one or two in-house experts.Outsourced SEO Cons1. Outsourcing SEO may require you to sometimes invest a little more money than you would if you were to do the SEO of your website in-house by yourself.2. If you outsource the SEO of your website to an agency, then they would need sometime to get to know your business and the way you work. This would take up sometime till the agency gets used to working with your company.3. Since the agency will be handling more than just your website, you cannot be sure of the time and focus that the agency will be giving your website. You may have to constantly keep checking on the work done and on the progress of your site.4. Some of the SEO agencies may use cheap tool based SEO or black hat SEO techniques to get the results that they promise their clients. You may have to be involved with the agency’s work to make sure such techniques are not being used for your website.
The Importance Of Software Testing
What Is The Importance Of Software Testing?There is an entire phase in the SDLC dedicated to software testing. Traditionally, it’s done after the developers have finished building the software – it’s handed over to the testing team to perform tests on it. This is, in my opinion, the most important part of the SDLC process.The reason it’s so important is that it is the major factor in getting good quality software. Developing software that works and works well is the ultimate aim of a project, and the testing stage is where this is done.The software testing phase can be broken down into smaller stages, each of which have their own importance:Unit Testing – testing each component of the software individually, to check that it works correctly in isolation.System Testing – testing the entire system as a whole, ensuring all of the components work as expected.Regression Testing – testing the entire system against a pre-defined list of tests, to ensure the new changes don’t impact existing functionality. This is important for upgrades and updates to software.These are the main types of software testing and each of them are important. I believe there are three main reasons that we do software testing.Software Testing Results In Less MaintenanceThe aim of software testing is to ensure good quality software. Good quality software means it has less defects or issues, it works well, and does what it needs to do. When you do software testing as part of a development project, you are aiming to pick up and find all of the issues in the system before it is release to the end users.In an ideal world, the developers will be creating software that works first go, and does not have any issues. However, this is not often the case – bugs appear in the system and the software testing phase is there to pick it up. If it’s found before the release, that’s great. If it’s found after the release, it means that time will need to be spent finding a fix and performing more testing on it – all while the end users are using the software.The time taken to fix defects after the software is released is significantly more than during the testing phase. This is because the fixes need further testing, and need to align to any maintenance releases or other schedules that the organisation has set up. Getting it right the first time when you release it is almost always the preferred approach.Good Software Testing Results In Increased User MoraleAs mentioned above, fixing the bugs in the system before the release is preferred. Another benefit of doing this is that the user morale and confidence in the software is increased. Why is this?Well, let’s say Project A has completed but software testing was not done very well. The software works, but not very well, but is still released to the users. They start using it, and even though it does some things well, there are still outstanding issues so some parts don’t work as expected. This results in the users getting frustrated with the tool – which is not a good thing for the organisation or the project team. The defects may eventually get fixed, but the reduced morale from the users will take time to heal.Alternatively, Project B has completed. They have spent more time on software testing and when it is released, it has far less defects. It has taken longer to produce, due to the increased focus on testing, but once the users have it, it will work correctly and they will be happy with the software.The testing effort and decision may be impacted by the organisation you work for, and other factors, but the benefits to user morale are high.Software Testing Matches The Product To The RequirementsThe final reason software testing is important is that it is used to match the software to the requirements.Software is built around the user requirements gathered during the analysis phase of the project. The analysis phase defines what the software is supposed to do. The developers aim to build from these requirements, but it’s the testing phase that checks that these requirements have been met.The testing is done against functional requirements – such as expected behaviour and what needs to be done. It checks that the software does what it supposed to do, and that nothing has been done incorrectly or left out. It also checks non-functional requirements – things such as load time and other performance measures.What If We Didn’t Do Software Testing?One question people might wonder, is what if we didn’t do software testing? What if the developers just created the software and released it? That is one option – but I don’t think it’s a very good one.It would rely on the developer actually creating low-defect software – which isn’t very likely. All developers (myself included) think that their software is bug-free, but in reality, issues are always found.Releasing the software without testing will mean there is a high risk of issues being found, and the software not actually working. It would waste a lot of user time and effort when using it. It may actually result in more serious issues, such as security breaches, data loss and corruption.In summary, the importance of software testing can be attributed to three areas – less maintenance, increased user morale, and matching to requirements. It results in high quality software – which should be something all of us are aiming for.
Anti-Aging Skin Care Routine – 5 Vital Products That Will Help You Achieve A Younger Looking Skin
In your twenties and early thirties, all you may need to keep your skin beautiful are a cleanser and a moisturizing cream. However, things change from mid-thirties upwards; the skin begins to show signs of aging such as sagging and wrinkles. So, at that stage you would need to upgrade to a more effective aging skin care routine and products in order to keep your skin youthful.Hence, aside from using just a cleanser and a moisturizer, you will need to incorporate the following age-defying products into your anti-aging skin care regimen:# 1. Exfoliation products – The older you get, the more dead skin cells you have; these dead tissues make the skin look dry, old and dull. That is why exfoliation should be part of your regular anti-aging skin care routine; it helps to get rid of the dead lack-luster tissues. It also rejuvenates the skin to make it look younger, smoother and radiant. Thus, you should use facial scrub and mask at least once a week.It is important to use products that are not too harsh on the skin. So, declaring ‘chemical independence’ is the way to go when choosing your products.#2. Anti-wrinkle creams – If you want a wrinkle-free skin, then a quality anti-wrinkle cream should be a must in your cabinet. Using a brand that has day and night creams is recommended because the two complement each other; a day cream offers protection against damage, while a night cream heals, repairs and rejuvenates the skin#3. Skin Firming lotion – Using a firming cream or lotion should be part of your anti-aging skin care routine if you really want to tighten up your sagging skin. However, instead of buying an anti-wrinkle cream and a separate firming cream, I would advice that you go for an anti-aging cream that contains ingredients that remove wrinkles as well as firm up the skin. I personally use a brand that performs these vital dual functions; it is very convenient and cost-effective too.#4. Age spot remover – Your beauty regimen should also incorporate an age spots remover; there are a lot of age spots removers on the market. But, ensure that you buy a brand that will not damage your skin in the long run. There is a natural whitening ingredient called Extrapone Nutgrass; it helps to get rid of age spots, sunburns and other skin pigmentations without irritating the skin. It also has anti-aging effect on the skin; so, using a whitening cream that contains Nutgrass will help clear your skin of wrinkles and blemishes without causing any damage.#5. Eye cream or serum – The skin around the eyes is one of first areas to show signs of aging like wrinkles, dark circles and bags (puffiness). So, using a quality eye cream should be part of your daily anti-aging skin care routine.Following the right anti-aging skin care routine is vital to achieving and maintaining a youthful beautiful skin; so, I believe that incorporating the above mentioned products into your beauty regimen will go a long way in helping you achieve your goal. For more information on an anti-aging skincare line that delivers on its promises, visit my website.