FEATURE
THE PROTECTION ISSUE
10
WAYS TO
PROTECT
YOUR
BUSINESS
WANT TO KEEP YOUR PROFIT SAFE, YOUR
PROFESSIONAL REPUTATION INTACT AND
SLEEP WELL AT NIGHT? HERE’S HOW…
1
CONTINUING
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
The speed of change within the
industry can be a serious threat
to electrical contractors, and
keeping your skills up to date
can keep you in business.
Continuing Professional
Development (CPD) allows
businesses to have predictive
rather than reactive outcomes,
as well as showing customers
that you’re relevant and valuable
– both highly profitable
attributes. The National
Electrical and Communications
Association (NECA) offers
training in business skills and
business development, and most
wholesalers and suppliers
provide specific training on
certain products. Ask yours for
details on what’s coming up.
2
SORT OUT
YOUR WEBSITE
If your website isn’t
correctly optimised, you’re
missing out on new business.
12 GEMCELL.COM.AU AUG – SEPT 2019
About 60% of searches now take
place on mobile devices, and
Google ranks mobile websites
higher in search engine results, so
make sure your site is mobile
friendly. The speed of your site is
important, too. If a page isn’t fully
loaded in less than five seconds,
the probability of people leaving
the site increases by 90%,
according to US research. Check
out how fast yours is at Google’s
PageSpeed Insights. A secure site
(https rather than http) is also a
must-have. Customers are less
likely to fill in personal
information if the site isn’t secure.
Search Engine Optimisation
(SEO) is a big deal and one that
needs to be monitored
continuously. To help your
business show up in local
searches and listings, you’ll need
local SEO – that means optimising
your name, address and phone
number, creating quality content
on your site and being up to speed
with social media. Ask an expert
for help.
3
SECURE YOUR SYSTEMS
A non-secure computer
system puts all of your
business data and information at
risk – particularly if you leave a
laptop, tablet or phone lying
around on-site. A password
manager program will reduce your
risk of being hacked. It creates
unique complex passwords, syncs
them across multiple devices and
lets you share them with others