18 Productivity Tools for Improved Time Management
If you’re doing anything at all on the Internet these days, the amount of time you have is your scarcest resource. With that in mind, here are 18 productivity tools I use to help me maximise what I can do each day.
Hardware Productivity Tools
1. iPhone
The iPhone is one of the best productivity tools available. Not only can you check your emails, manage your calendar and check your social media accounts, but you can do it in your dead time such as waiting in line or getting a coffee. Additionally, many of the software tools I recommend in this article are beneficial because of their iPhone apps.
2. iPad
When I first got an iPad I didn’t really know how to use it to get the biggest productivity benefits from my day. What I finally understood is that the iPad is not a replacement for your laptop or your phone. But when you use it in conjunction with the apps listed in this article, such as Things and Flipboard, you really start to see its benefits.
3. Mac
As a die hard PC fan it was a hard decision to convert to Mac, which I did in January 2011. The transition was a bit hard at first and re-learning all of the shortcuts took a bit of time, but once the transition was over (which took me a month or two) I gained significant productivity improvements. Not only does my Mac start up and shut down in less than 20 seconds but features such as Spotlight and custom keyboard shortcuts save a considerable amount of mouse clicks (more about that later).
Advanced Tip: Don’t use your mouse to open any programs or documents. Instead use COMMAND + SPACE to open spotlight and then start typing the name of the application or document you want to open. When you see it at the top of the list, just hit ENTER and it’s open.
4. Smartpen
Anybody who attends a business meeting takes handwritten notes (at least if they want the meeting to be effective). Usually these notes include action items, key points and other pertinent information. The question is, what do you do with those notes after you’ve taken them? If you’re like me, you probably have alot of notebooks full of notes from various meetings. Using a Smartpen is a great way to get your handwritten notes onto your computer. You handwrite your notes using your Smartpen, then sync your smartpen with your computer, and all of the handwritten notes are automatically transferred to your computer available to browse or search. The best part about this software is that it can transcribe your handwritten notes into text (and it’s very good at it) and you can search through your past notes using keywords.
5. Amazon Kindle
At first, the feeling of reading a book on a Kindle was a little jarring, especially because I enjoyed the feeling of holding a book and turning pages. But in less than a week the benefits of reading on a Kindle far outweighed any nostalgia I had towards physical books. The main benefits of reading on a Kindle are that you can set the size of the font you want to read at (ensuring a consistent reading speed), fast turning of pages, instant availability of nearly any book you want to read, the ability to send documents and web pages to it, and carrying all of your books with you wherever you go.
Software Productivity Tools
6. Things
Things is by far the best piece of software for managing a to-do list that I have ever used (and I have used a lot). Things is a software application that runs on Macs, iPhones and iPads. You can quickly add to-dos using keyboard shortcuts from wherever you are on your Mac, you can create categories and assign to-dos to categories, and you can schedule to-dos for the future. The iPhone and iPad apps synchronise with your Mac so you have the same list on all devices, and you can quickly add new to-dos through your iPhone or iPad when you’re on the go.
Advanced Tip: take your iPad to meetings, create a project name for the meeting and add to-dos for all action points and notes that come out of the meeting.
6 Google Analytics Insights for Improving Website Performance
Your website probably has Google Analytics tracking code installed. But are you using the data available to improve the performance of your site?
Begin by critically questioning what information you need to help drive your business strategy. Google Analytics contains some fantastic data to help you understand the experience of visitors on your site, their motivations and behaviour. And by monitoring the trends in this data you will be equipped with the knowledge to expand your audience reach and drive growth.
Here are 6 insights Google Analytics can yield about your site:
1. Buying Behaviour
It’s great to know that your total visits are increasing over time, but what does this really say about your website? Let’s assume you have an Ecommerce site. A more valuable insight into the performance of your site is gleaned from analysing those keywords that are motivating your customers’ decision to buy. Taking this even further, we can look at the different buying patterns exhibited by new and returning visitors.
Google Analytics Navigation (New): Traffic Sources > Sources > All Traffic
- Viewing: Keyword
- Report Tab: Ecommerce
- Report View: Pivot Table
- Pivot by: Visitor Type
- Pivot Metrics: Transactions | Revenue
Armed with this data you are now able to consider the following:
- What keywords are generating the most revenue for your business? Can you redesign your homepage to focus on those keywords that are enticing your visitors to make a purchase?
- Are new visitors to your site behaving differently to returning visitors? Are your SEO efforts successfully driving traffic to your site? Is your site effectively converting this traffic into sales?
When Does PageRank Matter?
As much as I would like to ignore Google PageRank altogether, it is still relevant when building inbound links. When looking at external links there are essentially two factors to consider; the first is relevance, the second is PageRank. Those two factors combined are what build your website’s reputation for a given keyword or topic. So while your own website’s PageRank is not an accurate indication of where you will rank for a specific keyword phrase, the PageRank of your inbound links does matter.
Which Links Matter?
Building links from highly relevant high PageRank websites is the ultimate goal for any SEO campaign. Achieving that goal is how you can build your perceived authority (or reputation) for a target keyword. If you are getting links from high-value, relevant websites then Google sees that as a good indication that you are a reputable source for that keyword.
For example, let’s say you receive an inbound link from two websites that are both highly relevant to your web page. But let’s say hypothetically that one has a PR2 and one has a PR4. Bearing in mind that they are both equally relevant for the purpose of this example, the PR4 link is going to be worth far more to ranking for the target keyword used. The PR4 site is itself a more reputable source and so Google will give more weight to that link than the PR2 site, which has a lower authority.
Getting a whole bunch of these higher value links is the ideal scenario for building your authority online. However, this is where many people get confused. It is not enough to simply target high PageRank links – even more so since the launch of Google Panda. Yes, a PR8 link from anyone would be awesome for your rankings but a PR8 link from a relevant website will be many, many times better.
5 Steps To Writing Great Online Copy
Creating great online copy is as much about what you say as how you say it. A clear, engaging message should come with all the trimmings. These often forgotten extras are crucial in capturing your audience in the first place. Follow these 5 steps to ensure your online copy is stimulating for both the eye and the mind.
1. Layout/Structure
The layout and structure of your article play a pivotal role in attracting readers. ‘Heavy’ looking content is an instant turn off. Your copy can be made lighter in a few key areas. Keep sentences in the active voice, short and to the point. Limit your paragraphs to six sentences. Use sub-headings, lists, and bullet points to create that much needed white space – a visual breather for your readers. Experiment with bold and italicized font to allow your key passages to pop out.
2. Accessible content
Writing online copy is all about showcasing your expertise, but never forget your audience and their level. Jotting down the likely background of your readers is invaluable in etching out appropriate content. This doesn’t mean you need to be simplistic. Work on explaining the complexities of your topic in a way that will enlighten and educate – perhaps circulate a draft among less knowledgeable colleagues to test the waters. Online readers are seeking a quick, pain-free education. Provide that in bite-sized, memorable and meaningful chunks.
5 Ways To Increase SEO Traffic Through Effective Meta Descriptions
Meta Descriptions are one of the best ways to increase traffic from SEO rankings without building another link or writing another article. An effective Meta Description makes your ranking stand out from the competition, clearly differentiates your products/services and encourages potential clients to act.
So what are Meta Descriptions and how can effective Meta Descriptions help increase the traffic to your website?
In short, Meta Descriptions are the lines of copy displayed underneath the search results in search engines. Meta Descriptions are the first message your potential clients see about what you do, your products and who you are. Therefore, Meta Descriptions perform a key function for all your search engine optimisation (SEO) efforts.
Here is an example of our Meta Description (it is the wording directly beneath the website address):
While Meta Descriptions do not play much of a role in achieving SEO rankings, effective copy has a strong impact on whether a potential client clicks on your website from your rankings or not. Achieving top keyword rankings in Google is a priority (or should be) for all businesses online. But if your business is ranking and your Meta Description is not effective, then you are reducing the click-through-rate. It is therefore essential that you consider your Meta Description strategy.
A great Meta Description will result in heightened clicks from search results and more traffic leading to your website. The final outcome is an increase in online conversions for your business.
With this knowledge, let’s look at 5 best practice guidelines to help you improve the effectiveness of your Meta Descriptions…
