Small business secrets...

As it currently stands, in rural areas 30 per cent of companies of all sizes do not have access to a stable connection. This is unacceptable when many businesses now use cloud based services for even basic accounting functions. The days of just using internet for email are long over - its 2017!

While a typical household might have very few occupants who need to use the internet at the same time, businesses could have tens. Superfast business broadband is designed for multiple users, to handle any extra demands. Superfast fibre and cable broadband offers significantly faster speeds than ADSL services. Consequently, you can do more with time and get more out of a working day. Choosing this option, you’ll experience less of the slowdowns in service that might jeopardise your staff productivity.

Looking to change your current business broadband provider? You should first be aware of your current contract situation. Being in contract your supplier would generally inform you to pay cancellation fees if leaving, but under the law a lot of practices would justify an early cancellation. Here are some tips and information that will help you clear your situation with your current provider. You might be able to end your contract within your minimum terms with no extra charges!

Our research shows that small businesses in the UK are overpaying for Business Broadband and Phone Lines.  The top providers have raised prices almost every year in the last 5 years.   

bOnline SEO Consultant, Martin Podlucki, shares his tips for Maximising the SEO Value of Google+ for Your Local Business:

Providing a great customer experience is one of the most important aspects of running a successful small business. If your customers aren’t satisfied, they won’t come back and make any further purchases from you. They certainly won’t recommend you to their friends, and they may even air their grievances in public, which has the potential to lose you sales and damage your reputation beyond repair.

For many people, the biggest barrier to starting their own business is finding the money to get their idea off the ground.

From my years of experience in online marketing, I’ve seen the fantastic impact a good website can have on the success of small businesses. Even the most basic online presence can give small businesses a real boost and can help them attract more customers.

If you’re self employed or run your small business in a partnership, it’s likely you’ve had a weight on your shoulders which has been growing over the last few weeks. This Friday (January 31) is the deadline for self-assessment tax returns relating to the 2012-2013 tax year.

At bOnline we spend a lot of time encouraging people to market their businesses online, as many small business owners have still not realised the importance of a digital strategy.