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Google Analytics Account Setup: A Step-By-Step Guide on Setting Up Google Analytics Correctly

17th April 2018 - By Ahmed Khalifa Leave a Comment

When people talk about web analytics tools that can track and report data about your website, the industry standard is without doubt Google Analytics (GA).

At the time of writing, it is used in 76% of all websites on the world wide web.

Many of us have implemented GA straight “out of the box”; meaning that we just added the code onto the site or got it started with the help of a WordPress plugin, and then that’s it.

It can be a very simple way to start watching your sessions and other metrics add up over time, which can give you that warm and fuzzy feeling.

But the problem with this way of setting up GA is that your data can contain the following:

spammy and fake traffic
internal traffics (it tracks your own engagements as well as your team’s)
no goal tracking
if relevant, no ecommerce tracking

It’s always a good idea to make important decisions around your website using hardcore data (instead of a gut feeling 🙄). But the “out of the box ” setup approach will make your job difficult as it will most likely contain incorrect data.

And that’s not what you want, especially if you run a business. Because the wrong decision, due to incorrect data, can hurt your business.

So whether you have recently setup your account, or you’ve had it for a long time, it is never too late to make sure that your accounts are configured correctly.

Password Manager: What is it, How Safe is it & Why Should I Use it?

12th April 2018 - By Ahmed Khalifa 6 Comments

If you have read any of my previous posts about online security, you will know that I am a big advocate of everything related to online security.

What surprises me is we go out of our way to make sure that everything offline is secure (house, cars, etc.) and we take extra care with them.

But the same can not be said for non-tangible, online “products” like our passwords. And this is despite having more and more personal information online; from bank details, to addresses, to medial information, to your place of work.

It’s a goldmine for hackers, who can disrupt your life and steal valuable information about you.

It’s almost impossible to be completely protected online, but the least we can do is to make it as secure as possible to prevent anyone having access to extremely private information.

At the end of the day, if anyone has access to your login details which you have used in multiple places, just think of the consequences.

‘Crushing It’ by Gary Vaynerchuk – Book Review [Video]

3rd April 2018 - By Ahmed Khalifa Leave a Comment

Whether you love him or hate him, there is not denying that Gary Vaynerchuk aka Gary Vee is the type of person who does not stop when it comes getting his message out, and ‘Crushing It’ is his latest book on leveraging the power of the internet to grow your personal brand.

And the key thing is about personal brand, which is the foundation and the key to living the life that you want (and that’s not necessarily a life of fame, money and popularity).

Because if you are living the life that you earn and love, then Gary’s definition, you are “crushing it”.

But some people still need to hear some inspirations about what to do online and how to make the most out of the platforms. Well in this book, Gary has outlined what you should do, what could happen and then present a real-life example of someone doing something similar.

Image Optimisation: 10 Steps on How to Optimise Your Images for Better SEO & Web Performance

30th March 2018 - By Ahmed Khalifa Leave a Comment

They say that “a picture speaks a thousand words”, which is true for anyone whether it’s online or offline

But pictures on your site can also play a part in holding you back if you don’t take into consideration of image optimisation.

While you sit back and admire the creativity of your images, we can probably assume that you want other people to have the chance to engage with your visual content too.

But it’s easier to do that if you look at optimising your images first, both for SEO and for general web performances.

Without it, your audience will never have the chance to engage with your entire site in general, let alone your content.

The Infamous Yoast SEO “Green Bullet” & Why You Should NOT Obsess About It

28th March 2018 - By Ahmed Khalifa Leave a Comment

We are all familiar with the traffic light system on the Yoast SEO WordPress plugin. We equally have the desire to get that precious green light or bullet point.

Since it has been introduced as clever gamification, this tool has helped to encourage many of us to make sure that our content is optimised for search engines.

It has helped to make the lives so much easier, not just for those who are in the SEO industry and are considered to be experts, but also for those who are more in the beginner or intermediate stages and wants to have a checklist.

And to be honest, I use it myself too as it allows me to keep myself accountable for what I need to do.

However, it is also a dangerous part of Yoast SEO, as it can make you “cheat” your way around it to get that green light, which can eventually detriment the quality of your content.

As clever as the traffic system is, it can easily get you paranoid (we’ve all been there) and you end up frantically trying to fix it. But attempting to fix it can also detriment your content too.

So what the hell do you do?!

‘Yes! 50 Secrets from the Science of Persuasion’ by Goldstein, Martin & Cialdini – Book Review [Video]

26th March 2018 - By Ahmed Khalifa Leave a Comment

One thing that we don’t appreciate is the psychology and science of the topic of ‘persuasion’.

But as I read and subsequently did a book review ‘Yes! 50 Secrets from the Science of Persuasion’, I realise that it’s something not many of think about yet it’s having an impact on our lives pretty much every single day.

Put together by the highly intellectual trio of Noah J. Goldstein, Steve J. Martin and Robert B. Cialdini, this is a fantastic ready because it contains 50 mini-chapters of insightful inputs which will open your eyes.

Free Keyword Research Tools: The Complete List of 31 Free Keyword Tools That You Never Heard of

12th April 2018 - By Ahmed Khalifa 4 Comments

If you want to have a chance of being found on Google, you need to carry out some form of keywords research.

Sure, you should know how you expect your audience to find you online, but there is a good chance that you have missed out on some golden keywords that you have missed.

And it doesn’t matter if you are a beginner or an expert at SEO; you are not able to do that without carrying out some form of keywords research.

For those who are on a tight budget, they might feel like they have no options, but this list will prove you wrong. The list of free keyword research tools listed here are all available to use today and without registration, credit cards or the need to go on a free trial before paying for it.

That’s right; there’s no catch!

And that also means that Google Keyword Planner is not mentioned on this list either. ?

Brand Monitoring: How Google Can Be A Powerful Tool to Monitor Your Brand Mentions [Video]

20th March 2018 - By Ahmed Khalifa Leave a Comment

When it comes to brand monitoring, many people assume that you need to use special software to find out who is talking about you and your brand; be it positive or negative.

But what many people don’t realise that Google can be a very powerful tool to help you with keep track of any brand mentions.

In this post, you will be able to see some demonstrations of how you can use an effective and powerful advanced Google search techniques to help you keep track of anyone who is talking about your and your brand.