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Benefits of Flexible Work Arrangements

Top 8 Benefits of Flexible Work Arrangements for IT Professionals

The benefits of flexible work arrangements are hard to ignore when it comes to employing IT professionals. The specific benefits that result from hybrid work are often overlooked by employers. That isn’t to say it’s their fault. It’s naturally difficult to find flexible work arrangements and examples of them that prove their benefits to employers long ago. However, the statistics changed after the COVID-19 global pandemic which forced hybrid working for many companies. Since then there has been a gradual increase in work arrangements that differ from the traditional onsite. The overwhelming amount of positive reviews and effects have guaranteed that this work environment will become a stable opportunity for employees in the long run. IT professionals also include this statistic. Their job mainly runs on software and other technology-related business processes which can be easily handled remotely depending on their specialty. Learn more about the benefits of flexible work arrangements that can ultimately save your company from costs, increase your employee’s performances, and more. What are Flexible Work Arrangements? Before going through its benefits, it’s best to learn what flexible work arrangements are, especially since there are many types of flexible working arrangements that you can transition into for the benefit of your company and employees. Simply put, flexible work arrangements are alternate arrangements or schedules from the traditional working day and week. Employees may choose a different work schedule to meet personal or family needs. Alternatively, employers may initiate various schedules to meet their customer needs. Flexible work arrangements define schedules during work hours that are different from traditional job shifts. It will also include syncing their personal and work responsibilities for better time management. 8 Benefits of Flexible Work Arrangements for IT Professionals Having a lack of trust in your employees, micromanaging, and other challenges of flexible work arrangements are common causes of concern. However, once transitioned well to achieve the perfect work-life balance, your arrangement may likely create benefits that solve these problems to begin with.  Learn about all the benefits and the way they solve primary issues surrounding flexible work arrangements below.  Achieve Work-life Balance One of the most well-known benefits of flexible work arrangements is work-life balance. This is because flexible work arrangements manage to relieve these issues by increasing more time for employees to focus on their health and well-being.  Work-life balance is a highly sought-after benefit amongst many employees to give more time to their personal affairs while maintaining productivity amongst their tasks and output. This is especially necessary amongst IT professionals working in isolated quarters compared to more sociable professions.  To socialise with their peers and loved ones without sacrificing the quality of their output is the best outcome for both employee and employer. Not only does it enhance their communication skills and time management, but it also prevents stress and overwhelming workloads. Decrease Stress and Burnout Decreasing your IT professional’s stress and burnout is just one of the many benefits of flexible work arrangements. Just like with an active work-life balance, these advantages prevent negative outcomes that stem from the overwhelming burden of workload piled on top of your employees. Many health-related issues and low productivity levels are caused by inflexible collaboration between employees and employers during traditional work setups. There tends to be a hierarchy where clocking out doesn’t matter. If your boss needs you, you must reply immediately. This leads to many heart-related issues and mental disorders due to the stress and burnout your employees will gradually be burdened with. The result? Heated discussions, relentless overtime, and miscommunication among their peers and themselves. With flexible work arrangements, employees can take a simple amount of time to refresh their minds and prevent overworking themselves to the point of health-related issues. This saves income for both the employer and the employee in the long run. Increase Autonomy Increased autonomy amongst the benefits of flexible working hours for employees is a natural result. Being able to move independently without a micromanaging tool or being observed in a possibly invasive manner as an IT professional can demotivate your employees. Trust is required to achieve harmony, effective collaboration, healthy boundaries, and other benefits of flexible work arrangements when giving autonomy. The results produce innovative ideas that showcase your employee’s capabilities and enhance their confidence in your company as well as themselves in their profession. Improve Health Just as we continue to discuss the benefits that flexible work arrangements offer, we should also discuss the positive health-related effects and not cons of the traditional work environment. An employee’s health improves greatly once they’ve mastered their new flexible work lifestyle. Employees significantly become happier in their work and engage more during collaboration and meetings.  Not only do they emotionally feel better, their immune systems can become tougher depending on their tasks and meals. It also significantly reduces the chances of heart disease for employees thanks to their relaxed atmosphere. Avoid Rush Hour An all-time favourite of employees regarding the benefits of flexible work arrangements is the ability to avoid rush hours. Nobody in the world enjoys being stuck in a traffic jam. Even more so employees rush to get to work on time.  Professionals such as IT experts can skip the time slot where cars are jam-packed and arrive at a more spacious hour. Even better, some flexible work arrangements allow work-from-home benefits that prevent spending more money on gas, time, or commute hours and more on their daily tasks.  Being able to avoid rush hour while still actively participating in their deliverables is every IT professional’s dream. The ideal situation for many is remote working to save up costs completely. However, this all depends solely on their employers when or where they can participate in their work hours. Establish Routine An established routine is often overlooked compared to the other benefits of flexible work arrangements. However, this type of habit can create spectacular results at an expected period. Routines for IT professionals create a slot for collaboration between their team members and clients.

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Web development trends

11 Web Development Trends To Watch Out For In 2023

There are so many exciting web development trends in 2023. These emerging technologies provide plenty of opportunities to set up your website, engage with users in different ways, and even stay ahead of your competition.  With the fast-paced change we are witnessing right now, it can be hard to keep up. Luckily, we listed the latest web development trends and web tools you should pay close attention to this year.  Top 11 Web Development Trends In 2023 To Keep An Eye On Progressive web apps (PWA) PWA is a type of web application that provides web users with an almost full native mobile app experience. In short, it functions as an app but is a website.  It is one of the front-end web development trends that web developers should keep an eye on. In fact, in 2020, decision-makers of e-commerce brands in Europe and the US were planning to invest in PWA.  Now, a lot of e-commerce companies have already started using PWA. Some well-known brands are also using them, such as Lyft, a ride-sharing platform, and Starbucks, one of the largest coffee house chains in the world. Given the advantages that PWA can provide for companies, it is unsurprising that they are implementing it.  Uses fewer data and operates in slower networks Easier to update Cost-efficient since it functions on any operating system which makes it easier to develop and maintain App-like user interface (UI) Safe since it can only be accessed through HTTPS sites Accessible on the web and app stores Augmented Reality (WebAR) Augmented reality is a technology that has been around for quite a while. In the past couple of years, we have seen new applications of this particular trend broaden as well. Until recently, we saw it in education, healthcare, and gaming. WebAR is fast becoming one of the e-commerce web development trends to watch. Its interactive capabilities lead to a 94% higher conversion rate. While implementation can be challenging, this can be a big boon for e-commerce brands. Here is something to consider: Back in 2021, its market size was estimated to be around 9 billion USD. In a recent report, it will grow to USD 100 billion by 2026.  This indicates that WebAR’s applications will further broaden in the following years as we enter Web3. But businesses do not have to wait that long. Big brands like Amazon, Sephora, and IKEA have already jumped on this trend.  In short, WebAR is an investment that is worth considering.  No need to download and install a mobile application. No need for additional hardware or software. Can be used across different operating systems with just a Web browser. Easily access WebAR content through a hyperlink or a QR code. Track customer engagement metrics through robust Web analytics. Can easily outsource for web developers to implement WebAR app development and other creative services like 3D modelling. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Assistants In the past couple of months, there has been plenty of buzz around AI. Even so, it can potentially be one of the biggest web development trends that enhances the user experience. By integrating AI assistants into a website, businesses can provide more personalised and interactive experiences for web visitors. As a result, this leads to higher engagement and customer satisfaction. AI assistants can significantly lower customer complaints by 15%. Consequently, this can ultimately lead to increased sales.  Recently, 58% of B2B companies have already implemented AI-powered chatbots on their websites. Close behind them are 42% of B2C companies. The majority of these businesses invested in this trend because of its ability to provide 24-hour service and quick response times. With that said, implementing AI-powered assistants for customer-related functions on a website provides plenty of benefits, including:   Cut costs and boost revenue Provide a universal experience Increase customer loyalty Boost overall efficiency Provide convenience for customers Optimised Voice Search Since its introduction in 2011, voice search has become a popular tool for a lot of people, especially mobile device users. It is so widely used that it is projected to grow by USD 11.2 billion by 2026.  For businesses, one thing to take note of is that voice-assisted searches are equal for both the male and female populations. In the US alone, 72% of consumers engage with voice search through digital assistants like Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa, and Cortana.  In addition, optimising a website for voice search can yield plenty of benefits. Increase organic website traffic Build brand awareness & visibility Increase footfall for local searches Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) Page speed can impact whether or not people decide to buy. In fact, in a 2019 report, almost 70% of consumers base their willingness to make a purchase on a website’s page speed alone.   Since its initial launch in 2015, AMP has been providing mobile web users with lightning-fast digital experiences. While there has been a downtrend in its usage in recent years, it still makes up more than 34% of mobile usage for the entire internet. While Google has explicitly stated that AMP pages are not being prioritised, a quick search on a mobile device will show that they are indeed ranking higher in the search results. In addition, it also provides a couple of benefits:  Faster page load times Improved user experience Reduced data usage Easy implementation Enhanced security Single-Page Application (SPA) When it comes to web development trends, Javascript-based SPAs are the most recent and most popular right now. In fact, a lot of web users visit SPA applications already, like Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, Trello, Gmail, and a few more Google applications. Not surprising, since its overall performance is comparably better to some others and it works quite well on any device. In addition, it also provides a couple of benefits that make it a popular choice for businesses and web developers.  Loads faster than traditional websites Provides a great user experience Takes less time to build Makes it easy to debug Works and performs well even offline or with lower bandwidth. Serverless

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Hosting service

7 Deciding Points in Choosing Your WordPress Hosting Service

WordPress makes it a lot easier to create any type of website you want. It gives you the freedom to design it however you want. But, now that you finished designing it, you are now faced with choosing the WordPress hosting service provider. There are plenty of hosting service companies available on the internet. It is dizzying to choose! Plus, there are loads of pros and cons of web hosting platforms that you need to factor in carefully.  To help you decide, here are some key points you should always consider before you decide on a WordPress hosting service. What Is A WordPress Host? We all know WordPress. But, what exactly is a WordPress host? A WordPress host, or a web host, is a company that is responsible for maintaining and managing the software and hardware where your WordPress website is located. They take care of the technical stuff, both inside and out. That way, website owners like you do not have to worry about every little detail that goes into creating and maintaining your website. In short, they offer hosting services to make your website visible on the internet. How Does Choosing A Hosting Service Affect Your Business? At this point, we all know that your website is your virtual storefront. How good it looks and performs, as well as what you offer, are the things your web visitors always consider.  All these depend on the quality of your WordPress host’s hosting service. If they perform well, your website can potentially have more web visitor traffic and convert them into paying customers. However, if they do not, then you are essentially losing money. 7 Decision Points To Help You Choose The WordPress host you choose will make a difference for your website and your business. The question is: How to choose the right hosting provider for you? To help you out, here are deciding points you should consider: Point 1: Price How much of your budget will you allocate for WordPress hosting service?  Every web host has different offers and packages for their services. It is important to identify how much you are willing to pay and stay on budget.  However, it is not wise to just choose the cheapest options available. Opting for the bare minimum is a recipe for trouble. You can potentially encounter more problems, resulting in losing website traffic and money. Instead, carefully weigh the price of the hosting service packages offered by web hosts. These should cover the essentials and do not have any hidden or additional costs upon subscription. Point 2: Speed The performance of your website is crucial. If any web pages lag or load too slowly, it impacts the web visitors’ experience, which can result in a high bounce rate. This affects search engine optimisation (SEO) performance.   Many factors influence your website’s performance. One of these is the server speed—which falls under the responsibility of the hosting service company. Here is how you can check the server’s performance:  Time To First Byte (TTFB). It is how long it takes for a request to be sent by a browser and to receive the web page’s first byte. The ideal estate should be less than 200 milliseconds or near it. Component Loading Time. It measures the time for the server to load the cached content. It should not take longer than a few milliseconds to complete.  Point 3: Storage & Bandwidth Storage is the space in the server where the files and data, such as images, videos, and other contents of your website, are stored. On average, a web page size is up to 2MB. However, keep in mind that your website’s data will get bigger as you add new content.  On the other hand, bandwidth is the limit of data transfer of a website within a specific period. There are two categories of bandwidth offered by any hosting service: Metered Bandwidth. A hosting service company sets a monthly limit on the traffic generated by a website. If it goes beyond the limit, there is a possibility that the site might crash and become inaccessible to web visitors. Opposite to this is Unmetered Bandwidth. There is no cap on the monthly usage and traffic. The limit is only up to the server capacity as covered by the subscription plan provided by a web host.  Luckily, most companies, including WordPress hosting agencies offer unmetered bandwidth already. A rule of thumb when considering web hosts and plans is to choose the one that offers more than 50% more resources than what your website currently needs.  Point 4: Scalability That said, it would be better if your potential WordPress hosting provider has scalable subscription plans. A web host should be able to adapt to the growing needs of your website. However, the reality is only a few only offer this—and for a reasonable price. Point 5: Security Iron-clad security is a must. There should be no compromises or cut-arounds when it comes to the security of your website. Make sure they provide these security measures: Firewalls Virus scanning DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) protection Brute force defence Server hardening SSL Domain Privacy That said, it is important to check the scope of security that a web host will provide based on the plans or packages they offer. A rule of thumb to remember is that the more you pay, the less responsibility you have to shoulder for your website’s security. Point 6: Customer Support Aside from good security features, a hosting provider should also have rock-solid customer support. Like it or not, the moment you pay a web host, they are now responsible for your website. The well-being of your website rests in their hands – which can be a critical factor to your business.  As such, check if your web host has superb customer support first. Reach out before you subscribe to a hosting plan. Ensure they pass all the things below:  Are they easy to reach or contact? Do they respond fast? How

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page speed optimisation tools

10 Tools You Need to Improve Page Speed

It’s a well-known fact that a fast website is more profitable than those that are not. After all, speed is one of the most essential elements of a website. It affects customer satisfaction, conversion, retention, and more. That is why most developers and marketers try their best to improve their websites. After all, the second delay in page load times can lead to 11% fewer page views. But what if I tell you that you can improve your Page Speed easier? This article will tackle the definition of Page Speed, why it is essential, and 10 Page speed optimisation tools. What is Page Speed? Page speed measures how quickly a web page can be downloaded from the internet and displayed in a browser. Fast page speed is crucial because it makes your site more user-friendly, especially on mobile devices. Likewise, Page Speed also affects how long a user waits before they can start interacting with the page. In fact, according to a 2019 study conducted by Portent, the best loading times for a page for a good conversion is 0-4 seconds. Why is Page Speed Important? With more and more people accessing the internet on their mobile phones, page speed has become a crucial metric for any website. Google’s search engine penalises sites with a slower loading time. Likewise, it is essential to note that page speed is not just about how fast your page loads but also how quickly it responds to user input. The faster a website loads, the higher it ranks on Google search results pages, and the more likely visitors will click on it. The higher the site’s page speed, the better for SEO. 10 Page Speed Optimisation Tools Many optimisation strategies to improve your page speed, but some are more effective than others. And you can do these tasks using various tools such as the following. 1. Google Page Speed Insights Google Page Speed Insights is one of the most popular page speed optimisation tools that help developers measure their web pages’ performance. It provides suggestions for improving the website’s speed, such as using fewer resources, optimising images and CSS, and reducing the number of redirects. Likewise, the tool also provides recommendations for faster hosting and caching techniques. It offers a free service to test the load time of a webpage. The results will be shown in detail with suggestions for improvement. 2. Site 24 x 7 Another top page speed optimisation tool available online is Site 24×7. Site 24×7 is a web monitoring and analytics solution that helps businesses monitor their website and customer experience. It provides you with real-time visibility into the health of your site, the performance of your site, the impact on conversions, and the quality of your customer experience. 3. Sematext Sematext is a service that helps you monitor and understand your systems, apps, and code. It specialises in monitoring, analysing, and understanding the inner workings of IT infrastructure. This tool provides many integrations with other services to provide a complete infrastructure overview. As such, this tool is perfect for testing your website speed. You can track core web vitals and other vital metrics that affect your website’s performance and speed. Through this tool, you will know parts that you can enhance to improve your website. This makes Sematext one of the best page speed optimisation tools. 4. Website Speed Test (Image Analysis Tool) If you are looking for a way to optimise your images, then the website speed test is the perfect tool. This tool analyses the photos on the page and provides a detailed report on how fast they load and what can be done to improve the loading time. The tool also provides information about whether the images are optimised for faster loading, blocking other resources, if they have any unnecessary scripts or rich content, etc. 5. Gtmetrix GTmetrix is one of the best free page speed optimisation tools that checks a website’s speed and performance. It provides valuable insights into the website’s loading time, number of requests, page size, and more. Likewise, Gtmetrix also has an API that enables developers to integrate its features into their applications. 6. Google Chrome – Inspect Element Google Chrome is a web browser made by Google. It is the most popular browser in the world. It has many valuable features not available in other browsers, such as the ability to save passwords, autofill data, and open multiple windows simultaneously. Inspect Element is one of Chrome’s features that helps you understand your website. It is a fantastic way of looking at the HTML code that makes up that webpage. You can use it to find out what CSS styles are being applied to an element or what HTML tags it has inside it. 7. Pingdom Swedish-based company Pingdom AB created Pingdom in 2005 with headquarters in San Mateo, California. This tool is an online monitoring service that allows you to monitor websites, servers, and other internet properties. Likewise, Pingdom offers some features that allow a user to see the current status of their website or server. These features include uptime, response time, and the number of visitors. Pingdom also offers alerts for any changes in the status of your website or server. 8. Screaming Frog Screaming frog is a program that crawls through a website and generates an XML or CSV file of the site’s content. SEO professionals and web developers mainly use it to check if the site is well optimised, find broken links, and identify duplicate content. Likewise, the Screaming frog can also be used as a page speed optimisation tool by connecting to the PageSpeed Insights API. This will help you gather speed data at scale. 9. WebPageTest Webpagetest is one of the most potent Pagespeed optimisation tools for analysing and testing websites. It helps developers, designers, and content strategists to optimise their web site for the best possible performance. Likewise, this tool provides all the information needed to determine what is slowing down a website and

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optimisation tips

7 Simple Optimisation Tips to Increase Website Speed

Often, developers and marketers forget the importance of speed on their websites. They often think that website speed does not equate to anything. However, website speed is what makes a good impression on your business. Website speed affects some aspects of your company, such as retention, satisfaction, and conversion. In fact, according to Web Tribunal, a single second delay in loading on your website can decrease customer satisfaction by 16%. This number can negatively affect your revenue. So, how can you improve your website speed? This article will help you understand the importance of website speed and give you some optimisation strategies that can help you enhance your website’s speed. Why is Website Speed Important? As mentioned in our previous article, speed is probably one of the most crucial aspects of a website. It determines your website’s success: customer experience, ranking, and conversion rates. A study by Akamai found that the average time it takes to load a page on the web has increased from 8 seconds to 14 seconds over the past year. Page load times of more than 3 seconds can lead to a 7% decrease in conversions and an 11% decrease in revenue per visitor. 7 Optimisation Tips to Enhance Website Speed Website speed is an essential factor for both user experience and SEO ranking. It’s important to have a fast-loading website that can keep up with modern web standards. Likewise, here are some website optimisation tips for you. 1.   Use a content delivery network (CDN) A content delivery network, or CDN, is a server system that delivers content on behalf of content creators to end-users. It reduces the response time for end-users by providing the content from the geographically closest server. Likewise, one of the top optimisation tips that can help your website speed is using CDN. CDNs work by caching a copy of your website’s data in multiple locations worldwide. In addition, it can help you optimize the delivery of content to a user in any area, which is better than a single server. Likewise, CDN providers also provide security and protection against DDoS attacks, so it’s worth considering them for your site if it falls victim to such attacks. 2.   Reduce the use of plugins One of the most effective optimisation tips that can help you increase website speed is reducing plugins. Plugins that only provide a single function, such as contact forms, should be used with caution as they can significantly increase the load time of your website. The use of plugins in web development can be a double-edged sword. They are great for adding features to a website but can also slow down the site’s loading time. 3.   Optimize image size While images are essential to a website, they can slow down a website if they are not optimized. Images that are too high in resolution or have large file sizes will be slower than images with smaller dimensions and file sizes. Likewise, image optimisation is essential for websites to load quickly and for users to enjoy a seamless browsing experience. There are many ways to optimize images, but the most important thing is to keep the image size as small as possible without compromising quality. 4.   Use website caching When users access your website, their device needs to retrieve files from your server. Frequently, this could cause slow loading of your website. Likewise, one of the top essential optimisation tips that can help you is website caching. Website caching stores a website’s pages on the user’s computer or network for faster loading. It is essential because it allows users to access content more quickly and reduces server data load. Caching stores webpages on a user’s computer to reduce the load accessing them. The cached version of the page is saved as HTML files and stored on the hard drive. When you visit a website, your browser will download the cache files and display them instead of downloading them again. 5.   Evaluate Your Current Hosting Provider The hosting provider’s website speed is key to the customer experience. The website needs to load within a second or two. Otherwise, it will affect the customer experience and make them leave the site. Hosting providers are responsible for ensuring that their customers get fast loading times on their websites. This can be done by using caching, reducing page size, or ensuring that there are no external factors that are slowing down the website. 6.   Switch to HTTP/2 The HTTP/2 protocol was designed to address the inefficiencies of the original HTTP/1.1 protocol, which is still widely used. The new protocol is more secure and efficient and can handle a more significant number of connections simultaneously. HTTP/2 is a significant revision of the original HTTP/1.1 protocol used since 1997. This was developed to address some of the inefficiencies that were found in the old protocol, such as: Multiplexing for requests on one TCP connection Header compression Prioritization or server push No support for TLS session resumption 7.   Track 404 Errors Error 404 is a standard HTTP error code, meaning the requested resource is not found. This code is typically sent when the web server can’t find the requested file or webpage. This error can be frustrating for users, especially if they cannot find what they are looking for on the website. A 404 error can slow down your website by up to 80% and make it difficult for search engine crawlers to find your content. Your website’s load time will also be affected, which may impact SEO rankings. There are many ways you can improve the speed of your website and reduce the risk of getting a 404 error, such as: Optimizing images Minimizing HTTP requests Reducing image size Avoiding redirects Conclusion In summary, website speed is something developers, and marketers should consider. It could be an arduous process to maintain. But with the proper knowledge, it is incredibly doable. I hope these seven optimisation tips can help you maintain your website’s speed. And if you

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