10 Tips and Tricks That Content Writers Need To Know

10 Tips and Tricks That Content Writers Need To Know
Tricks That Content Writers Need To Know
Content is perhaps the most widespread phenomenon across the globe today. No matter which industry or sector you look at, there is a never-ending need for content, thanks to the booming growth of social media platforms and the internet in general. And when it comes to the consumption of written content, there is hardly anything needed to be said in terms of its scale and expanse. Every company, be it a breakout escape room, a skincare brand, a manufacturer, or a delivery service, heavily relies on written content for its digital marketing strategy. As a result, no matter what type of topic you are looking for, there is always an article, a blog post, or a case study out there that just fits the bill.

However varied the content may be, there are some common things that constitute a great piece of writing. Here are 10 tips and some additional tricks that can up your content game. If you’re a budding writer or even if you’re experienced, these tips can be helpful to elevate your writing. By following these basic steps, you can be on the path to becoming a successful content writer.

1. Provide Solution and Information

Content has many forms and purposes. But entertainment and information are two of the main reasons for people to consume your content. You have to provide something that the audience will want to know and benefit from it. At the beginning of your article, you can start by addressing a problem. It could be a complex or simple problem, but the solution has to be practical. Let’s say the article is about moisturizers, and then you’ll need to address the issue of dry skin first and provide the moisturizer as a solution. This is one of the most effective methods to gain a consistent audience. The article needs to be informative and as detailed as possible without being too long. Understanding the reader’s needs and necessities is important for a writer.

2. Keep It Simple and Comprehensive

An article is to be read in a few minutes and at the convenience of any place. Some might read a bunch of articles in their free time, but in most cases, they’re here for an immediate solution or a quick read. A person could be reading it in their break or while they’re transporting. The article has to be easy on the eyes and mind. If the article is lengthy and clustered with complex sentences, they’re less likely to read it till the end. So keep the length in mind and avoid using big words which will be hard to understand for most readers. The paragraphs and sentences have to be short. Break down paragraphs if they are too big. Phrases can be used to make the article more interesting. The information has to be packed tight within simple words.

3. Refer and Research

Before you start writing an article, the first and most important step is to know more about your topic. The content you create needs to be packed with information. The readers should benefit from reading your article, and hence it’s essential to research well before writing. You could be writing a topic that you’re well used to, or it could be something new to you. In either case, take some time to go through articles, statistics, or even research papers. As you gather information, create notes with it or mark the important aspects which you’ll need to cover in your article. By doing this, you’ll ensure that you’re providing the best information available on that topic.

4. Create An Outline

The outline is the foundation of an article. An outline is to help you guide through your writing process. It’ll be the skeleton of your article, and you can develop the body of your article from that. After doing proper research, write down the headings and subheadings. You can decide the flow and format of the content with an outline. This process makes it easier to deliver information in an efficient way. You can also choose the images or any additional inserts during this step. Create a mind map of how your article is going to be constructed. This initial arrangement of words will lead to a smooth process of content writing.

5. Captivating Headline

A headline is the first thing to be noticed by a reader. You never get a second chance to make the first impression. Whether they’ll click on your article depends on how interesting and relevant the title is. The title needs to be concise and not too long. It has to be specific, portraying exactly what the reader will be gaining from the article. Choosing the right heading is twice as important as the body of an article. Take your time and pick a title that intrigues the reader. For example, running a marathon could be more specific as 20 tips to run a marathon in Summer. The second title is more likely to reach people who’d benefit more from the article. The title has to be descriptive and attractive. You have to be careful while using superlatives and adjectives in a title.
Tricks That Content Writers Need To Know

6. Lead Them With A Good Introduction

After the title, the introduction is important to draw the reader into the article. Introduction can make or break the interest of the readers. The introduction leads the article and contains a gist of the content of the article. It’s like the head-start of an article that boosts the interest of the readers. This is the part where we assess a problem or give a brief idea about the following content. Getting the readers hooked to the article right from the start is important. A good introduction ensures a great article. Take great care in creating a captivating lead.

7. Keywords and Hyperlinking

Use words that are relevant to your content. If you’re a content writer, you must’ve heard of the term ‘Keyword.’ A search engine brings up articles based on the keywords relevant to the reader’s search. For example: ‘How to’ is one of the most searched topics. Using the right keywords for your article will ensure that it’ll come upon the pages of the search engine. Hyperlinking is another way to get on the search engine’s page. Add links to other relevant articles of your own. If you’re writing about baking a cake, then you can hyperlink an article on how to decorate a cake. If one article gets many readers, then it’s possible for some of them to click on the link to read you’re another article too. Hence, Hyperlinking and Keywords play an essential role in coming up on a search engine’s page.

8. Fact-Check

You have to double-check everything you convey in an article full of information. We would’ve seen many articles floating around with misinformation. They’re a waste of time for the readers and also can mislead them. The depth of your research will depend upon the topic. So it’s best to check any important research papers, statistics or data if necessary. Although our research may not be as extensive as that of actual journalists, we still need to ensure that we’re putting out truthful information. For simple articles, collect and verify information from multiple sources. Cross-checking will allow you to find out any fake information. It’s best to check for plagiarism during this stage.

9. Stick To The Topic

Every article has a bottom line that the writer tries to convey to the readers. The content has to revolve around the basic point. The article can get lengthy and vague if the writer strays away from the point too much. Even if you’re trying to relate the article with a personal experience, it has to be relevant to your topic. Each phrase, example, or quote has to be connected to the point. Everything you write has to be directed to the subject. Keep on track with the topic, and don’t stray away from it. The article has to remain relevant in each and every sentence. If you want to divert a little from the topic to touch a related point, use sub-headings to mark that division. That way, the article still will be dealing with the same or similar subject.

10. Review and Edit

Editing is an essential part when it comes to writing. Editing is a more difficult task than writing. Take twice the time of your writing to edit. Reread your article multiple times to ensure that you notice as many mistakes as possible. The initial draft and the final article can look unidentical after going through immense editing. Even after self-editing, it’s better for someone else to edit your work as we can miss out on some errors. Check if you’ve used correct grammar and spelling. Punctuation is another common mistake made by writers. Put your best efforts into editing, and it’ll turn out to be as perfect as possible.

Apart from these, here are some general tips to help you make the best content.
  • Active Voice – Avoid the usage of passive voice and write the whole article in active voice. Put the subject first, followed by the action or object. The passive voice puts the object first, which doesn’t impact the active voice. E.g., She wrote the letter – Active voice The letter was written by her – Passive voice
  • Credits and Citations – If you’re using images in your article, you’ve to give credit under the image. In the case of research papers, statistics, or books, you have to cite the source. This adds credibility to your work.
  • Conclusion – Every piece of writing need to be given a proper conclusion. It can be short and give a gist of the article. Some writers also conclude by asking questions to the readers.
  • Plagiarism – Ideas can be gathered from different sources, but when they are put together as an article, you have to write them in your own words to avoid plagiarism.
  • Valid Data – Credibility is important when we share information. Add statistics and data when it seems necessary.
  • Easy To Skim – Many readers open articles for a quick read. And if they want to gain information in a few minutes, then we have to make it easy for them. The content should be simply structured with highlighted or bulleted points that make the important information stand out.
  • Tone – When you are addressing the readers, try not to come off too strong with the advice. Words like ‘must ’ or ‘should’ can be kept to a minimum.
  • Repetition – Try to avoid using the same words in nearby sentences. Repeating the same phrases can make the article seem vague.
  • Consistency – Write the whole article in the same tense and tone. The sentences need to flow smoothly, intertwined with the topic.

These are some of the general tips that can help you elevate the quality of your content to a great extent. But remember, you don’t have to incorporate everything at once into your writing right away. The key is to be conscious while creating the content and slowly incorporate these mindsets to build a solid foundation, and eventually, it will come to you naturally as a writer.

AUTHOR_NAMEAbout the Author:
Charlotte Lin is a content creator at escaperoom.com. She’s a passionate young woman, mother to an amazing nine-year-old, and an avid reader. Over the years, writing has helped her explore and understand the world as well as her own self. She loves to travel, meet new people, and spend quality time with her daughter. You can find her on LinkedIn.

6 Things To Consider While Hiring .NET Developers

6 Things To Consider While Hiring .NET Developers
Cost Effective Tricks For Saving On Ink Cartridges
Released in 2002, .NET has come a long way from a proprietary software development platform to a fully-featured global ecosystem.

.NET being a versatile platform, requires specific skills. If you are looking to hire a .NET developer, there are certain things to keep in mind to get the best of this framework.

In this post, we will discuss the key things you need to consider before hiring .NET developers. Before we get into the details on the how part, let’s first have a quick look at why one should hire a .NET core developer.

Before we get into the details on the how part, let’s first have a quick look at why one should hire .NET core developer.

What is .NET?

.Net is a software development platform from Microsoft. It combines various programming languages, tools, and libraries that help develop different kinds of applications.

.NET enables you to build applications ranging from desktop applications to web applications to IoT applications. This is possible due to modular and optimized architecture.

.NET Core, on the other hand, is very similar to .NET, but it is open-source on GitHub. This means .NET developers can use it for cross-platform implementation to run websites on other Windows, Linux, and macOS.

Reasons To Hire A .NET Developer

Following are some points that will help you understand the importance of hiring a .NET developer.

Irrespective of the industry you serve, or the size of your business, they can help create unique applications tailored to your requirements.

Their familiarity with the .NET platform enables them to work efficiently and quickly to develop applications. This helps in getting the desired outcome in less time and less cost.

Apart from the .NET platform, they also work with other platforms. That is why they have knowledge of various coding methods.

A skilled developer will help make an application that runs faster, and knows how to eliminate errors that cause an app to crash.

Things To Consider While Hiring .NET Core Developers

Do They Have Any Experience?

It is important to hire a developer who has relevant experience. Their experience will help you overcome any challenge, ensure timely delivery of your project, and get desired results.

Before you choose a developer, get information on the number of projects they have undertaken. Secondly, also see what technologies they have experience in.

Look for the clients they have worked with. What kind of business do they have, and what industry do they serve?

Along with technical skills, it is also important to consider other things like how good of a problem-solver a developer is.

Skills That You Need To Look For

.NET Developers come with a varied skill set. Considering your project requirements, the skills needed might vary. Here’s a checklist of a few peculiarities that you need to keep in mind when selecting a developer for your project.

Should know how to operate ASP.NET MVC. It is an open-source software that provides access to client-side technologies. In recent years, ASP.NET MVC has become quite popular.

It is also important to see if the developer understands the purpose of the code. By doing so, they will be able to know what code they need to write and what code they should input in order to save time.

.NET developers are proficient in programming languages like C#, F#, VB.NET. And also understand database applications like SQL Server, NoSQL, Oracle.

Also, check if they understand the client-side technology. This is beneficial in building aesthetic interfaces. The technology includes HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Bootstrap.

Soft Skills Are Equally Important

Apart from technical knowledge, there are certain soft skills that you need to consider. The first is empathy. Only when a developer you hire empathizes with your business can they truly understand the problem and find a way to solve it.

When there is good understanding between the developers and your team, it becomes easier to suggest new ideas and positively exchange feedback.

Effective communication is key for successful projects. Understanding a client’s requirements needs listening and communication skills too.

Other important soft skills include accountability, teamwork, open-mindedness, creativity, and time management.

Refer To Reviews

It is also important to check past clients the developers have worked with. It will provide you an idea of their authenticity. If you are going to hire developers from a .NET core development company, they will have case studies and a portfolio of work published on their website.

Maximum Product Security

Security and data protection are essential with so many data leaks and cyber-attacks. Prioritize developers who have experience in building apps that are foolproof. When you partner with a .NET core development company to hire developers, ensure that they follow standard protocols for development.

What Is Going To Be Your Hiring Model

There are different models popular for hiring developers. You can hire in-house experts or go with the most trending model, that is, hiring dedicated developers. Here are three common types of hiring models.

Fixed Scope Model

If you have a fixed scope project where there won’t be any changes for some time, then a fixed scope model can be beneficial.

Here, developers won’t be able to make any modifications unless everything is finalized. The biggest benefit of this model is that it offers less financial risk. Good for the ones who have a limited budget.

For any complex project that requires frequent changes, this model might not be suited.

Hourly Model

Hourly model is best suited for dynamic projects that require many iterations. Hourly model is a type of engagement model where you hire developers on the basis of fixed hours to work on your development project.

The benefits of this model include hourly basis payment instead of fixed cost, you can keep a track of each task, it also provides a good opportunity to review a project.

Dedicated Developers Model

Dedicated development model means that you hire remote employees to work on your development project. Here, you sign a contract with dedicated developers that includes all necessary details like project requirement, budget, deadline, roadmap, etc.

Once remote developers sign the contract, they become a part of your company’s team. This model is becoming highly popular because of the several advantages it offers.

Concluding Remarks

These are a few things that one needs to consider when hiring .NET developers. For the completion of a successful project, consider partnering with a reliable development company with certified developers.

Their skills and expertise will help you build secure, custom, and quality solutions that fulfill your business needs.

AUTHOR_NAMEAbout the Author:
Maulik Shah is the CEO of BiztechCS, a .net core development company from India. Maulik likes to explore beyond his comfort zone. When it comes to writing for the blog, his contribution is priceless. No one else on the team can bring the deep industry knowledge to articles that he has. However, his door is always open and he is generous with sharing that knowledge.

Building Footprints To Follow: Its Effects To Your Subordinates

Building Footprints To Follow: Its Effects To Your Subordinates
How To Create A Lasting Footprint
Leaders are not born; they are made. One of the most critical traits in a leader is communication. One needs to communicate with subordinates and garner support from them effectively to get ahead. By establishing good communication channels with your subordinates, you create footprints that they can follow.

As a leader, it is crucial to inspire others and motivate them to follow your path. You encourage those around you and create larger footprints that others can follow when you do so. Furthermore, it also helps in maintaining your reputation and dignity.

Leaders exist for the betterment of their subordinates and should always lead by example to inspire them. Your behavior and actions must be exemplary and convey a sense of guidance. Only then will they follow along your path to success.

The Different Facets Of Leadership

To be an effective leader, it is crucial to understand the different facets of leadership. Leaders come in all shapes and sizes and can use various methods to lead their subordinates. The most important thing is that leaders understand their subordinates and communicate with them effectively. Here are different facets of leadership:

Positional Leadership

This is the most direct form of leadership where you are required to make orders and expect them to be followed without question. This is perhaps the primary way by which leaders can influence their subordinates. Inflexibility is an essential factor when using this method as it does not allow for individualized consideration.

Of course, there are pros and cons of this facet of leadership. It allows for faster decision-making, but the orders may not suit all scenarios. That's why it is crucial to understand your team and communicate with them effectively.

Participative Leadership

In this form of leadership, the leader encourages their subordinates to be involved in the decision-making process by giving them a voice in their projects. Leaders need to use participative leadership to inspire buy-in from their subordinates, but it may come at the cost of slowing down the decision-making process.

This is how Neo Kian Hong leads his people — and his organization — into the new frontier of Singapore's public transportation system. As the SMRT CEO, he believes that participative leadership is the best way to inspire his people. He understands that they are closest to the issues and will need to take the heat if they encounter difficulties, so he encourages them to voice their opinions.
How To Create A Lasting Footprint

Transactional Leadership

This form of leadership entails giving payoffs and punishments based on the performance of your subordinates. It can be effective when used sparingly and with caution, but it can also lead to a lack of motivation from your subordinates.

However, using it will keep your subordinates on their toes and allow you to motivate them by offering rewards. This form of leadership is best for managers who want to keep their team in check and adjust the dynamics based on the circumstances.

It is crucial to find the right balance for your team and to be able to adapt as needed. No two teams are the same, so a good leader must be able to tailor their approach to fit the needs of their subordinates.

The Importance Of Communication In Leadership

One of the most important facets of leadership is communication. When leading your team, it is essential to communicate with them on many levels. This allows for effective feedback and helps you understand your subordinates' needs.

Leaders must communicate with their team in a clear, concise manner that is easy to understand. It is important not to overwhelm them with too much information. Still, it is also essential for leaders to explain the importance of their directives so that the team understands the importance.

Effective communication is crucial for success, especially when building a solid foundation with your team. Influential leaders inspire their subordinates by communicating with them intimately, allowing them to understand the complexity of what they are trying to accomplish.

Being a leader is not an easy task, but it can be rewarding if done correctly. To be successful as a leader, you must communicate effectively with your subordinates and establish good communication channels. Your actions must also convey a sense of guidance to help them follow along the correct path.

Leaders are not born; they are made. And one of the most important things that a leader can do is create footprints that others will follow. This allows the leader to positively influence those looking up to them and reach new heights. So, if you are interested in leadership, always remember to create footprints that others will follow.

6 Significant Ecommerce Trends To Watch Out For In 2022

6 Significant Ecommerce Trends To Watch Out For In 2022
Significant Ecommerce Trends To Watch Out
Whenever a business pushes a new marketing campaign or a product idea, they tend to look at what is trending.

Google Trends can give a general idea of what is hot and what is not, though one can also find other tools, particularly if they wish to research specific and get more details.

Having said that, the ecommerce industry is a good example of trends that come and go. Even if the idea of selling goods or services on the internet is relatively new, it is still developing quite fast.

For someone who wishes to start an online business, it is important to familiarize yourself with the trends. Otherwise, you fail to miss out on important aspects and fall behind the competition, which is likely if you are new.

Customer Reviews

Let's start with customer reviews. Do not make the mistake of neglecting to encourage shoppers to leave feedback.

Customer reviews work as social proof. In other words, if someone visits an online store and finds it missing prior feedback, the odds are that they are unlikely to shop.

If a store uses the dropshipping model, it can utilize the Opinew product reviews app to import reviews directly from platforms like Amazon.

Encouraging customers to submit a review by giving them a perk, such as a discount or free shipping, is worth a shout as well.

Chatbots and Data Processing

Chatbots and data processing are two for the future, thanks to machine learning and artificial intelligence.

There are some businesses that have already established a system to utilize the technology, and many more stores are catching up.

It is hard to process vast amounts of data about competitors, customer behavior, and so on if you do it manually. Leaving the work to smart algorithms makes more sense.

A similar thing can be said about chatbots. Replacing real people with bots in customer support is an efficient investment.

Chatbots learn with time, and they become smarter in their responses to customer queries. And one of the best things about chatbots is that they are available 24/7 without needing a break, which is far superior to an average human.

Visual Content

Visual content plays a prominent role as well. The shift from walls of text to videos and high-quality pictures is understandable given what is the average attention span of people these days.

Instead of adding numerous words to a product description, increase conversions by recording a guide video. Even if it is a short instruction in a simple animated form, it will still be more effective than forcing potential shoppers to read through a boring text.

For product photos, you want to take appealing pictures. It is not a stretch to hire professional photographers that can do a good job of emphasizing the good sides of your product. It should be a no-brainer that the higher the picture quality, the more sales an online store can expect.

Influencer Marketing

Creating an effective marketing campaign is a problem because you do not have guarantees that the investment will pay off.

Right now, brands are finding it profitable to collaborate with influencers. From social media and YouTube influencers to podcast hosts and streamers on Twitch TV, there are a lot of personalities with loyal audiences brands can utilize as a means to drive traffic and make sales.

Of course, it is important to determine whether an influencer is a good fit. In case you find it difficult to strike a partnership deal with A-tier influencers because they charge too much, do not bother with them.

Just because someone has a lot of followers, it does not mean that they are worth the hassle. A micro-influencer with fewer followers might offer more value overall because of their engagement rate and lower charging fees.

Voice Shopping

If there is one thing we can take from the popularity of Siri, Alexa, and other digital assistants, it is that carrying out voice commands has become quite popular.

Online shopping is not that far behind in this aspect. Right now, there is a noticeable trend to see more interest in voice shopping.

Considering the convenience of shoppers, it makes sense to see the rise of voice shopping. People can order goods or services via a microphone on their smartphone or tablet, for example.

One other thing to note about voice shopping is that it offers an alternative to people with disabilities. For someone who relies on their voice, such a shopping method could come in quite handy.

Freedom In Customization

Customization is not applicable to every niche, but if it is, it is recommended not to limit potential ways customers can change the appearance of a product.

Print on demand is a good example of this. Giving shoppers the freedom to choose design colors, fonts, and so on is the right approach.

Customers who do not have the freedom to customize their products are more likely to seek alternatives if they cannot find a combination to their liking.

Designing A Modern Home For Convenience and Comfort

Designing A Modern Home For Convenience and Comfort
Designing A Modern Home
Designing a home that is both comfortable and convenient can be a daunting task, but it is definitely doable with the right planning. You will need to consider your family's needs and lifestyle when designing your home, as well as the climate and environment where you live. By using modern design principles and materials, you can create a stylish and functional home that will meet your needs for many years to come!

Design Your Home With The Family In Mind

When designing your home, you should think about the different ways that each member of the family uses it. For example, children might need a playroom or bedroom close to their parents for security and convenience. You may also want to include multiple bathrooms - one near the master suite for adults and one near the children's bedrooms for convenience. If you have pets, consider their needs as well. You might want to include a pet door that leads out to the backyard or someplace safe where they can go during the day, while at night, your furry friends can sleep in the main part of the house with you.

Integrate Home Automation Into The Design

One way to make your home even more comfortable and convenient is to integrate home automation into the design. Home automation can include features like smart thermostats, programmable lights, and voice-activated assistants. These features can make it easy to manage your home's energy usage, lighting, and entertainment systems. By integrating home automation into your design, you can have a truly modern home that meets all your needs!

Use Natural Light

One of the best ways to make your home more comfortable and convenient is to use natural light. You can do this by incorporating large windows and skylights into the design or by using light-colored materials that will reflect sunlight into the interior of the home. Using natural light will help to reduce energy usage and create a bright and cheerful atmosphere in your home.

Create A Low Maintenance Outdoor Area

When designing your outdoor area, it is important to choose materials that are low maintenance and easy to care for. You will also want to choose plants that don't require a lot of watering or care. By using these types of materials and plants, you can create an outdoor area that is beautiful and low maintenance!

One great way to create a low-maintenance outdoor area is to use artificial turf. Artificial turf is made from synthetic materials that look and feel like natural grass. It is durable and easy to care for, and it doesn't require any watering or fertilizing. You can also choose from a variety of colors and textures to create the perfect look for your outdoor area.

Maintain Good Air Quality In Your Home

One of the most important factors to consider when planning your home's design is maintaining good air quality. To do this, you will need to create a sealed environment that ensures no dust, dirt, or other contaminants are getting into the living areas. You can accomplish this by using good-quality doors and windows that were created with tight seals. If you have a basement, you should ensure the floor of the room is dry and well insulated. Another good idea is to add an air filter system to your heating and cooling ductwork.

Select Modern Building Materials

When designing your home, it is important to use modern building materials that are low maintenance and easy to care for. Some great examples of modern materials include vinyl siding, metal roofing, and artificial turf. These materials are durable and easy to care for, and they don't require any special maintenance or care. These materials can also improve your home immediately, which is a huge benefit for those who are on a tight budget.

Take Advantage Of The Landscape

When designing your outdoor area, it is important to take advantage of the landscape. You can do this by using plants and materials that are native to your area or by using materials that are able to blend in with the surroundings. By using these types of materials and plants, you can create an outdoor area that is beautiful and fits in well with the surrounding landscape.

Convenient, comfortable modern homes can be designed by carefully considering your family's needs, the climate and environment where you live, and home automation integration. By using modern design principles, you can create a stylish and functional home that meets your family's needs for many years to come!

Blogger Plugins To Make Your Wordpress Blog More Creative And Powerful

Blogger Plugins To Make Your Wordpress Blog More Creative And Powerful
Plugins To Make Your Wordpress Blog More Creative
WordPress is indomitable in the world of website design and development.

And owing to its matchless features and continual developments, it will continue to do so.

It is touted as the best content management system and why not? More than 35 percent of websites are powered by WordPress.

Don't forget to check out!

As a blogger, choosing WordPress is your best bet as the platform makes customization a cinch, and using blogger plugins simply takes the website’s functionality to another level.

Wondering About The Best Blog Plugins For Your Wordpress website

Here’s a list of the best of them all. Let’s get started.

1. WP Blog and Widgets

So, we start this round-up post with WP Blog and Widgets- the best blogger plugin in the market that would uplift the appearance, usability, and engagement value quite significantly.

It has 7 stunning layouts and more than 100 mesmerizing design options to boot. Besides, it can be seamlessly integrated with several page builders including- Gutenberg, SiteOrigin, Beaver, Elementor, and WPBakery.

More Features:

  • Blog ticker feature.
  • Responsive blog widgets.
  • 6 shortcodes.
  • Slider RTL support.
  • Show blogs according to categories.
  • Control autoplay and speed interval.
  • Change the post order using the drag and drop feature.

2. Blog Designer-Post and Widget

Blog Designer - Post and Widget is one of the hottest plugins out there in the market. It allows you to replace your existing theme with tons of blog layout templates you have at your disposal. By using a grid and slider, you can take the appearance of your website to another level altogether.

There are 50 designs for grid layout and 45 designs for slider/carousel layout. You can also make the most of the blog ticker feature this plugin comes with.

Also, there are 24 designs for masonry layout and more than 25 for grid box, list, and grid box slider layout.

More features of Blog Designer- Post and Widget

  • Easy integration with all major page builders such as DIVI, Elementor, WPBakery, VC Composer, and AVADA to name a few.
  • Phenomenal compatibility with all WordPress versions.
  • Enticing and responsive widgets.
  • Slider RTL support.
  • Multi-lingual support.

3. Akismet Anti Spam

Dealing with spam is always an ordeal, but not when Akismet is at work. This anti-spam blogger plugin has been around for quite a while and is known for its peerless performance.

Undoubtedly, the best blog plugin for WordPress to ward-off spam comments that would otherwise contaminate your website and its backend. It is very good at distinguishing spam from genuine comments and is the first choice of every blogging website.

More Features:

  • Access to the number of spam comments from each user.
  • Easy backup and restore functionality.
  • Status history related to each comment.
  • Save storage through the discard feature.

4. UpdraftPlus

Protect your blog and beef up the security of your blog against unfortunate hacking events by using UpdraftPlus- the best blog plugin for WordPress.

The plugin not only safeguards your blog from unpleasant malware attacks but also allows you to backup your contents on the cloud- GoogleDrive, DropBox, OneDrive, etc.

If you are looking to back up your content to multiple cloud platforms, you are welcome to do so as well.

More Features:

  • Quick processing and usage of fewer resources.
  • Schedule automatic content backups.
  • Migrate websites using ‘Migrator’.
  • Expert support.

5. Smush

Creating a blog brings a whole new set of challenges including image management. Uncompressed images consume the majority of space on your website and weigh it down. Consequently, the page load times increase and also lead to a bad user experience.

Optimize your blog images using Smush- one of the most sought-after blogger plugins. It not only compresses your images but also preserves their original quality.

More Features:

  • Bulk image compression.
  • Access to smush image stats.
  • Resize images with custom specifications.

6. Monarch

Monarch is one of the best social sharing plugins on the internet. It is aimed at helping businesses increase blog post sharing on social media platforms. With a whole gamut of social sharing button options at your disposal, you can grab the attention of your readers and encourage them to share your blog post with their social circle.

There are numerous theme choices and button placement options and hence you will be spoilt for choices. It is no exaggeration that this plugin is self-sufficient as on one hand, it has button options for formal websites, and on the other, it has plenty to offer to websites with a lot of jazz.

Features

  • Plenty of theme choices and button placements.
  • Buttons with various design options.
  • Search engine friendly.

7. Contact Form7

Contact Form 7 has been around for ages and is one of the best blogger plugins you may not want your website to miss. Allow the visitors of your website to connect with you by facilitating an easy-to-use contact form.

Choosing a contact form for your website is no less important as it directly impacts your lead generation and sales. The best part of using this plugin is that it doesn’t require coding.

More Features of Contact Form 7:

  • Easy management of multiple contact forms with different codes.
  • Customizability.
  • CAPTCHA support.
  • AJAX-powered submission.
  • Ideal for non-tech-savvy

8. Login Lockdown

If you are looking for a security WordPress plugin, then Login Lockdown is an ideal choice for you.

As you may know, WordPress offers you infinite chances to log into your website and despite putting in the wrong password, it cannot lock you out of your own website. While it is a good feature for website owners, it also poses a potential security threat that doesn’t go down well with many WordPress users.

Beef up the security of your website by using Login Lockdown which works wonders. It sets a particular number of login attempts from a particular IP address for a particular amount of time. There’re several other features that make Login Lockdown one of the best blog plugins for WordPress.

More Features of Login Lockdown:

  • Records IP address.
  • Prevents the malicious attempts of hackers.
  • Limit the number of login attempts.

9. iThemes Security Plugin

iThemes Security is another must-have blogger plugin your website shouldn’t be deprived of. As the name suggests that it resolves the safety concerns of your website with sheer ease.

There are more than 30 ways to protect your website from malicious attacks. Also, if you are looking for more features, you can switch to the PRO version which is a paid version.

Features of the PRO Version:

  • Database backups.
  • Security logging.
  • Easily bans both bots and human users.
  • File change detection
  • Local and network brute force protection

10. W3 Total Cache

Enhance the functionality of your website by using W3 Total Cache. One of the most popular and the best blog plugins for WordPress.

The plugin comes with a speed optimization feature that helps slash your website’s bounce rate by a significant margin. This plugin also helps boost the loading speed of your WordPress website quite effectively.

More Features of W3 Total Cache:

  • Page compression feature.
  • Establishes cache browsing.
  • Minimize HTML and CSS.
  • Easy to install and use.

Conclusion:

There are several free and premium WordPress plugins available on the internet. The ones mentioned here are the most sought-after and best blog plugins for WordPress; however, you should stay away from using all of them in tandem as doing so might slow down your website.

AUTHOR_NAMEAbout the Author:
Amisha Parmar is a content writer and SEO marketing manager at Essential Plugin, which sells a WordPress Plugin Bundle that includes front-end utility plugins. Expert Inbound Marketing Tools, Templates, and Security are required for the overall development of a WordPress website.

The 5 Most Popular Big Data Testing Tools [+FREE Bonus tool]

The 5 Most Popular Big Data Testing Tools [+FREE Bonus tool]
Most Popular Big Data Testing Tools
The global big data analytics market is forecasted to reach a whopping 68.09 billion U.S. dollars in annual revenue by 2025.

With the adoption of AI, IoT, and other futuristic technologies to constantly innovate, and the pandemic-fueled digital transformation of organizations worldwide, the demand for reliable big data applications is steadily on the rise.

However, quality assurance of these big data apps remains a constant bottleneck that delays app releases. For businesses to make the right decisions swiftly, it is important that they rely on precise insights. This can only be made possible by regularly validating the quality of big data and ensuring that the data is flawless.

But here’s the catch- traditional software testing techniques are NOT cut out for big data testing. With the colossal amount of data that these applications handle, it is necessary to carry out software testing using precise tools, well-thought-out strategies, and robust testing frameworks.

In short, big data apps need stringent quality checks using the proper testing tools to check for data integrity, app functionality, performance, and security.

Big Data Testing Tools and Their Features

There are a lot of big data testing tools in the market to help testers in their efforts. With a few differences in their features and capabilities, these tools are usually categorized depending upon the phase in which they are used. These include:
  • Data Ingestion tools: Sqoop, Zookeeper, Kafka
  • Data Processing tools: Pig, MapR, Hive
  • Data storage tools: Amazon S3, HDFS
  • Data Migration tools: CloverDX, Talend, Kettle

In this detailed post, we’ll discuss the tools mentioned above and highlight their most important features so that you can get a better idea.

Let’s dive right in:

1. SQOOP

Sqoop is a utility tool to move data back and forth between an RDBMS to HDFS. Sqoop stands for SQL to Hadoop.

Features and uses:

Scoop can both import and export data from structured data sources like relational databases, NoSQL systems, and enterprise data warehouses.

Using Scoop, you can also move data from an external system onto an HDFS and populate tables in Hive and Hbase.

It also integrates with data orchestration platforms like Oozie, allowing you to carry out scheduled automated imports and exports.

Scoop employs a connector-based architecture that can support connectivity plugins.

2. ZOOKEEPER:

Zookeeper is a pillar for many distributed applications. It is used by different nodes in a cluster for coordination and maintaining shared data in synchronization.

Features and uses:

  • Distributed configuration management
  • Self-selection/ consensus building
  • Coordination and locks
  • Key-value store

Zookeeper is used in many distributed systems such as Hadoop, Kafka, etc. It manages brokers for a Kafka cluster. Kafka 2. x is entirely dependent on Zookeeper to work. It helps in performing leader elections for partitions.

Zookeeper is known for its stability as it hasn’t had a good release in years after its 3.4 version.

3. KAFKA:

Kafka is a high throughput distributed messaging system for decoupling data streams and systems.

For simpler understanding, let us put it this way-

When there are too many source systems and target systems exchanging data with one another, things can become really complicated. The biggest problem with this type of architecture, is the high number of integrations you’d have to write, keeping in mind the protocols, data formats, and the data schema and evolution.
Most Popular Big Data Testing Tools
This puts a lot of load on source systems. Apache Kafka decouples your data streams so now your source systems will have their data in Apache Kafka, for the target systems to retrieve.

Features and uses:

  • Activity tracking
  • Ability to gather metrics from various locations
  • Ability to gather application logs
  • Decoupling system dependencies
  • Integration with other big data technologies

4. PIG

Apache offers the scripting platform Pig, which helps in processing and analyzing large data sets. Pig runs on Hadoop clusters.

The best part about Pig is that it is extensible, self-optimizing and easily programmable. Programmers can use it to write data transformations, without even knowing Java. It uses both structured and unstructured data for input, to perform analytics and uses the HDFS to store the results.

Features and uses:

  • Step by step procedural control
  • Ability to operate directly over files
  • Schemas can be assigned dynamically
  • Support to user defined functions and data types
  • Fully nestable data model

5. HIVE

Hive is essentially a data warehouse infrastructure software. It provides SQL intellect, allowing users to write SQL like queries to extract the data from Hadoop. The hive component interacts with the Hadoop ecosystem and the HDFS file system by converting HQL queries into MapReduce jobs.

Features and uses:

  • Can be used for online analytic processing.
  • Fast, scalable, and flexible.
  • Supports various file formats
  • Metadata is stored in RDBMS
  • Provides a lot of compression techniques
  • Specialized joins, UDF and HDF support

Bonus tool: QUERY SURGE

Query surge is a smart ETL data testing solution. If you are looking for a validation and testing tool for Big Data and data warehouses, Query surge is the tool to go for. It can also analyze and validate data intelligence reports.

QuerySurge automates the following for a data warehouse:
  1. Test design
  2. Management
  3. Scheduling
  4. Execution
  5. Analysis
  6. Reporting

Query surge supports various data stores both as source and target and provides complete DevOps functionality for continuous testing.

Features and uses:

  • Ability to test across platforms
  • Integrates with other ETL solutions
  • Validate data quality faster
  • Test any big data implementation
  • Increased data coverage

Conclusion

Inappropriate testing of big data applications is detrimental to businesses. Big data is instrumental in driving revenues by helping organizations understand and analyze market trends, consumer behavior, and overall demand. As a result, big data testing has a vital role to play in creating customer-centric products and services.

However, big data testing does not come without its fair share of challenges. For starters, it is highly complicated because of its enormous volumes, and no single tool can perform end-to-end testing. Big data testing deals with scripting and validating a high degree of test cases.

The process requires highly skilled testing professionals to customize solutions for critical testing areas. A software quality assurance services company such as Qualitest can help you ease into the deeper aspects of big data testing.

How To Stay Organized At Home When Working From Home

How To Stay Organized At Home When Working From Home
Stay Organized At Home When Working From Home
Even though the COVID-19 brought a lot of bad things to the world, it transformed the workplace for the better. Remote work has become widely accepted, and this allows employees from all over the world to connect digitally. Virtual workplaces minimize the commute cost, as well as the rent of an office or workplace. On top of that, working from home allows you to organize your day however you like!

However, there is one significant downside of remote work: people have trouble staying focused and organized when working from home! Since remote work provides them with a comfortable and relaxed environment, many individuals struggle to keep their days organized. Such a lack of structure leads to decreased productivity and efficiency, which may also include procrastination. So, how can you beat your laziness and stay organized while working from home?

1. Keep Your Space Tidy

One of the first rules of successful remote work is having designated space for working. Surely working from bed seems like a fantastic idea, however, will you be truly efficient? Even though you can make an exception once or twice, you need to have a proper space where you'll work. So, consider creating a home office or a simple work corner you'll use solely for your job.

You know what they say messy desk messy mind! Even though some people thrive in such an environment if you'd like to stay organized, keep your workplace clean. This includes decluttering as well as cleaning. Recycle the papers you don't need and keep the cables and chargers away. On top of that, keep your desktop tidy as well, it will help you find your way around faster.

2. Try Out Different Routines

One of the best things about working from home is not having to be formal at all times. You can kick back and relax while finishing up important tasks. Additionally, you can sit in pajamas all day if you’d like. However, that can be dreadful for your productivity. Therefore, trying out different routines will help you decide what works the best for you.

Whether you like to dress formally even though you’re sitting at home, go for a run before work or have some family time with your loved ones, this all can help your organization. If you have the freedom to organize your work hours however you like, you can create a schedule with hours when you’re the most productive. Not everyone thrives from 9 to 5!

3. Create To-Do Lists

To keep your days organized, writing a to-do list seems intuitive. However, many people make the mistake of not immediately writing down the tasks they need to do! Once you’ve been assigned a task, write it down. It will help you remember it, as well as have some clarification on how you should do it and what’s asked of you. Each night before you head to bed, or morning before you start your day, go through your notes and sort out the tasks you need to do during the day. Keep an eye on deadlines. On top of that, don't put too many tasks on your schedule. Try to estimate the time you'll need for each task, and stick to it!

4. Learn How To Prioritize

If you've creates an excessive to-do list and don't know what to do first, it's time to learn how to prioritize! Prioritization is a simple yet essential soft skill each employee no matter the position should obtain. It can help you sort out the assignments during the day and tackle the to-do list in no time! So, how can you learn it? Instead of wasting your money on a time management course, consider simple techniques that have helped many. Create for windows and label each with a combination of urgent- not urgent, important- not important. Tasks that are urgent and important should be done immediately. Consider delegating urgent, but not so important tasks to a colleague. Do important yet not urgent later, and try to avoid wasting time on those that aren't urgent nor important. That's how you'll keep your days and tasks organized.
Stay Organized At Home When Working From Home

5. Plan Your Breaks

When working from home, planing breaks is essential for your organization and schedule. Since we're not machines and can't work all the time, you can't expect yourself to be productive at all times! That's why taking frequent breaks is vital for your health as well as efficiency. Therefore, planning breaks in your schedule can help you get a more realistic grasp of what you'll be able to do during the day.

Even though the need for breaks vary from person to person, try to have more than 2 and less than 8 breaks during the workday. Occasional breaks are advised for professionals working from home. If you take breaks too frequently, you'll quickly lose your focus. Opposed to that, if you don't take enough breaks, you'll burn out faster. Breaks can be an ideal period for you to have a chat with family, do quick chores, or stretch!

6. Limit The Distractions

The biggest time-eater has got to be various distractions. We can agree that working from home has numerous benefits, however, home is where we can find many distractions. Dirty laundry? Did dishes pile up in the sink? Crying children? Phone notifications? These and many more distractions can keep you from fulfilling your tasks. So, you'll need to limit the distractions!

If you don’t use your phone for work, consider keeping it on the do not disturb mode and keep your notifications off. We spend over 4 hours daily consuming content from social media, so turn your WIFI and mobile data off when working. On top of that, emails can be distracting as well! So, set a certain time during the day when you’ll reply to those and focus on the work.

7. Mind The Noise

Let's face it, if you have children, housemates, or family living with you, absolute silence won't be possible! Even though most people find it irritating to work around others, especially if they are used to their own spaces and offices, you simply can't keep your household quiet during work hours! So, instead of wasting time on being stuck in the loop, focus on the solution. What can you do?

If you can't create a private space for a home office, finding ways to cancel out the noise will be your best option. So, consider getting noise-canceling headphones that will provide you with the peace you need. On top of that, you can try listening to calming and non-distracting music, such as those meant for meditation. Such music can help you improve your focus and cancel out the background noises.

8. Use Tools To Help You

Some of the biggest issues regarding organization can be settled through various apps and tools that can ease the process. Various note-taking and time management apps, such as Pomodoro can help you organize your day better and remind you of crucial tasks you need to complete. But besides time management, you can organize other aspects of your life, such as your social contacts.

We all use one of the most popular social media platforms- Facebook. It provides us with a place to chat and get in touch with people. However, we can agree that this platform is not as formal as it should be for the work context. Consider using Workplace by Facebook alternatives as they are more professional, easy to use, and keep your employees engaged. Additionally, you can chat with your colleagues and quickly share important information without jeopardizing your work schedule and to-do lists.

9. Meal Prepping Is The Way To Go

Organizing your day shouldn't only revolve around work. Besides work and breaks, you need to take care of your physical and mental needs, which includes having lunch! Whether you live by yourself, with a partner, or have a family, you all need to eat at least three times during the day. But you can't simply cut work to cook a meal, can you?

Therefore for your organization meal prepping is vital. Cook the food the night before for the next day and prepare the snacks when you get up. Use boxes to label your food and keep your fridge organized. Also, you can ask your household for some help when it comes to meal prepping, which will give you additional time to rest or work.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, working from home can be a dream come true or a vivid nightmare; it all depends on how you organize your time. Even though you might not be efficient at first, use these tips to improve your work and time management skills. To make the pros outweigh the cons, always stick to your schedule and prioritize your tasks. That's how you'll stay organized at work as well as in your private life!

Keep in mind that mental health is crucial therefore if you feel like you're losing focus again, or struggling to work productively, take some time off if you can as burnout can lead to serious consequences. Work-life balance is essential for time management and your overall well-being.

Top 10 Most Effective Ways To Overcome Accounting Problems

Top 10 Most Effective Ways To Overcome Accounting Problems
Ways To Overcome Accounting Problems
Productive accounting management is crucial for business survival and development. It encompasses scheduling, developing, regulating and controlling the economic mic reserves in order to attain the objectives.

Promising accounting and financial administration will enable the industry to formulate beneficial design of reserves, fulfil obligations to the stakeholders, increase competitive goals and educate the economic strength.

Accounting management must satisfy the important procedures within your enterprise.

The problem-solving techniques involve the process to eliminate the obstacles that prevent us from reaching the goal.

To successfully solve problems, a consistent process needs to be established to analyze, explore outcomes, improvise performance, and ensure the achievement.

1. Have A Concrete Career Plan

A business agenda will organize yourself in the place where you are currently present and the way you want to be in the next future. It should document how you will fund your career and its actions, what wealth you might require and from where you can generate.

The promising aspect you can do is assess the intentions you possess and iterate frequently so as to not waste capital and reserves on aspects that need improvement.

2. Take Care Of The Economic Efficiently

Often scrutinize the improvement of your business and the economic position so that you can have an eye on the monetary aspect of the business. On day-to-day footing, you have to make a note of the money in your account, the sales that are occurring in a day and also the stock aspects. Maintain a survey of the target against your current position and the cash flow should be managed on the monthly basis.

To manage serious business accounting problems, try building forecasts for financial methods. This will have a reasonable understanding of the economic consequence of striding in several paths. The substantial windfall is peeking at distinct tactical reaches to the exact crisis. Maybe instead of boosting deals currently, you might be better off in the extended way if you accept a strategy to curtail churn and conserve your promising consumers. This might not work until you design a few distinct strategies.

3. Timely Pay By The Client

The accounting can drive into crucial dilemmas since the customer does not pay on time and the delay might happen. To decrease the danger of overdue or non-payment, you must ensure your credit tenures and limitations are obvious from the onset. Also immediately publish statements that are obvious and detailed. With a help of a computerized credit supervision network will help you to protect the way of consumers' reports.

4. Manage Cash Flow Smartly

Actually, the most efficient corporations can encounter problems if there is no adequate money to cover day-to-day expenses such as rental cost and salaries. Be aware of the meagerness the Business requires to withstand and make sure you don't fall apart . It is a lot simpler to manage your credit while the finances are good and stable, than ruining it.

Dealing with a significant case, it is better to implement a channeled conception. The benefit from conserving a limited breathing compartment for the career to make sure what to do in future.

Remember to have a note on metrics like expenditures, past statements and the cash flow operation. Developing and tracing monetary summaries everyday might assist to schedule for the destiny because you will see differences or variations can be utilized to notify additional judgments.

5. Keep A Tab On Records

The according records need to be maintained up to date so that the risk of losing the money is more because you may fail to track the pending payments of the customer or even you may forget the amount you need to pay the suppliers. Having a Precise summary of records keeping system will facilitate you to have a trail of the expenditures, obligations and creditors, apply for extra funding and conserve space and accountancy taxes.

6. Never Miss Of Tax Filing

Not being able to fulfill deadlines for filing tax returns and expenditures can increase your penalties and the interest. These penalties are excessive expenses that can be prevented with prior planning. Maintaining detailed documents conserves your time in business and cash. Fulfillment of the tax deadlines can make you hopeful that you are barely reimbursing the tax you owe. Accordingly, it is significant that you achieve your responsibilities in tax payments.

Effective steering of the tax modifications might encourage you to have additional budgets accessible to withstand other business challenges forward. Digitized, accurate documents with analysis software might make a complicated tax year more effortless.

7. Forecast The Expense and Manage It

Business operations have to be more effective and efficient. Conservancy of expenditures and accordingly prosperity can happen by implementing discrepancies in behavior and utilizing prevailing appliances further efficiently. It is the susceptible kind to slash expenses. Regions to glance at in a regular department include heating equipment, lighting materials, office appliances and air conditioning.

8. Management Of Stocks

Profitable stock or commodity supervision assures that the exact quantity of merchandise accessible at the exact moment. This makes sure that the equity is not bound unnecessarily. The systems should be put up in place to have perfect stock levels. Putting up with custody of the stocks will enable free cash, while furthermore retaining the proper proportion of commodities handy.

9. Receive The Accurate Funding Allocation

It is crucial that the exact category of finance for the business you possess is chosen. Every variety of fund is formulated to fulfill various intentions. Minor companies depend further on employment overdrafts and private allocation but this may not be the perfect way of allocation for the firm.

10. Identify and Get Rid Of Crises Before Hand

When a crisis occurs, it is an extremely aggravating situation to encounter economic difficulties as a corporation, but a professional help must be involved to handle the situation before it gets worse. There are moreover some preliminary points that can be taken to minimize the outcome such as attacking priories on obligations early and evaluating how you can enhance your money progression.