Information Technology (IT) has globally become a major driving force in many organizations. The role of I.T can’t be overemphasized in our day-to-day activities, in businesses and individual lives. Information technology has changed businesses, education and everyday life. Organizations are seeking to get IT applications which can help them sell their products or services effectively.

Computers and Internet Are Essential To All Businesses

The use of Internet has become globally accepted. With it, organizations or businesses are moving information faster and they also coordinate multiple activities to achieve efficiency. They also use the internet to sell their services or products. Hence you have emails, online marketing.

In the business world, I.T has helped in creating a networked economy where businesses are linked with their suppliers, customers, manufacturers and business partners in real time. Information Technology is an enabler for economic development.

Computers and information systems are essential parts of every business today. Like accounting and legal, every business needs to invest in technology to compete. Technology is both a cost of doing business and an opportunity to do more business.

Benefits of Information the Technology

• Communication: Information technology accounts in the development of communication technology. Services like electronic mail make communication within and outside the organization easy and first. Nowadays email communication is a default communication technology used by every organization. Communication is a great tool in business develops, with advanced communication tools, employees and managers can easily make beneficial decisions in the organization
• With information technology, businesses can reach more potential customers, develop a business relationship with potential customers
• Streamline operations, reduce costs, improve efficiency, maximize profit, minimize waste, and devote talent to core business instead of overhead
• Provide better service to customers
• Allow customers to better guide the business
• Reliability: Information technology systems can run 24hrs 7 days a week hence it is reliable. Let’s take a simple example of a Bank. This is a financial institution whose services are needed by the end-user on time. Banks use IT systems to deliver services like remote banking so customers can easily deposit money, withdraw money or print out bank statements without coming to a physical main branch of that bank. IT experts make sure that these remote ATM machines and other remote banking systems are running all the time, they can do maintenance in the late hours when users are not active so that they do not interrupt the service when needed by the user
• Speed: Users of information technology can use tools like computers to perform different tasks faster and accurately. Computers have applications which can store data in a systematic way making it easy to understand and organize important facts.
• Transaction processing: Information technology simplifies the transaction process of an organization. A transaction process system (TPS) processes transactions in a business.  At the heart of every organization are IT systems whose main role is to capture transaction information, create new information based on the transaction information.  TPS will update any transaction process and store that information in a database, so any concerned party in the organization can access that information via a centralized information storage network of the internet.
• Data Management: With the help of database software, an organization stores all its relevant data on a database. This infrastructure can be designed when it is internal or external.  An internal centralized system can only be accessed within the organization while an external centralized system allows data to be accessed outside the organization using a remote (IP) internet protocol Address or a domain name. In this case, employees or managers can use a company website to access relevant company data by use of passwords. This data is not exposed to the public and search engines.

Contact CPS Today

Learn more about Creative Programs and Systems, CPS, and the IT solutions they provide including IT consulting, computer consulting, network consulting, networking, server installation, IT disaster recovery, computer repair, virus removal, malware removal, computer tune ups, data backup systems, computer troubleshooting, structured cabling, low voltage wiring, website design, graphic design, logo design, website hosting, search engine placement, iphone app programming, android app programming, and custom programming at www.cpsmi.com/computerconsulting.  To contact one of our IT experts call 810.224.5252 today or via email at info@cpsmi.com.

Not all website updates are created equal. There are content updates, application updates and site revises, and then the mother of all updates the site re-launch. I can’t over emphasize the importance of refreshing your website design with new content and upgrades and, yes, every so often you should redesign and re-launch your business website.

The updating frequency depends on several of factors.

How often to add new content to your website or blog

The mission of each website is different and so are the updating requirements. You can’t expect a corporate blog to be updated as often as a regular blog or a regular blog as often as a news or sports blog. Let’s take a look at website updating and blog management in these 4 categories but before we do, I want to hit on another topic.

Outdated web design

If the design of your web site is stuck in the 2000s, then you should consider a refresh. With web technologies changing as fast as smart phones and TV’s, there are new ways to speed up your website and even rank better with Search Engine Optimization. With a custom coded website you can implement all your ideas and new tech to reach your target audience.

Category 1 – Sports / Fashion / Celebrity / Tech / Lifestyle / Financial / Newspaper / Magazines

For Websites or blogs that deal with trending topics related to sports, fashions and this category, updating with new information several times per day is crucial for their success. There is no limit to the number of updates and generally the more the better. This is because most of their visits are coming from repeating visitors, social media and Google news. Postings are usually short and to the point and contain a lot of images.

Category 2- Normal Websites / Blogs

In this category you expect to find personal web development blogs, how-to style blogs, informational blogs, wiki, marketing, weight loss, studies, analytics, travel tips, reviews and many more. In this, 3 updates per week are more than enough; there is no need to update daily unless of course you have the resources to execute such a task.

Category 3 – Corporate Website / Blog

These are business websites that showcase a company and the products/services it is offering. They are among the most difficult types of websites to update frequently because once the initial setup has been made and information about the company is published, you don’t really need to publish anything again, unless new products get released. Then of course you would want to blog about it.

Category 4 – eCommerce Store

Content marketing is one of the most efficient ways to promote your online store and it is not more difficult than it sounds. You can publish Articles / Videos on how to use your products online, or detailed product reviews, announcement about new products, changes to existing products, special offers and upcoming events.

If you are wondering how often you should update this type of blog? The answer is simple. You always update when you have new high quality content to publish.

Why you should update your website quite often

It drives your SEO

Search engines love content and especially new content. They like to have long quality posts in their index to satisfy their users. A website that is updated regularly is crawled more often, has more pages in the index and more possibilities to boost SEO.

It amplifies social media

If you are using social media marketing to promote your blog many times the problem that destroys your effort is lack of content. Having a website that is updated on a regular basis will give you fuel for your social media promotions.

It’s good for your users

Websites are meant to serve users and giving users fresh content makes them happier. A happy user will most likely come back, convert, register, buy or recommend your website to other people.

It’s a signal that your website or business is active and alive

Updating your website for users shows your business is still active.

We offer Web Design services in Brighton, Michigan and around Livingston County. We are Creative Programs and Systems! We have been designing custom websites before templates or wordpress were a thing! Make your company stand out with a custom web site. Call us today for a free quote at 810-224-5252 or visit our website at www.cpsmi.com

The internet has changed so much in the last few years, especially with mobile phones and tablets. In fact I only know one person with a flip phone! Everyone else is rocking a smart phone of some type. Having all these different screen sizes changes the way we build websites. This is why you need a custom website!

Responsive Web Design

If you want your web site to look good on mobile and tablets, you are going to want something called responsive design or commonly known as mobile friendly. This allows the site to “flex” to different screen sizes. This usually speeds up the development process of building websites, as we don’t have to build 2-3 different versions of the same website. If you ever seen a site and down in the footer (bottom of the page) it says “View full site” this is not a responsive site. I don’t think anything is wrong with that it usually just takes more time to build. Another good thing about this design process is Google loves mobile friendly websites. If you want to check to see if your site is mobile friendly you can use this neat little tool from Google.

Search Engine Optimization

Custom coded websites allow you to edit meta data for better SEO. If you are not sure what SEO is here’s a description taken from wikipedia. Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of affecting the visibility of a website or a web page in a web search engine’s unpaid results—often referred to as “natural”, “organic”, or “earned” results.* A custom website also includes everything you need and nothing you don’t. Unnecessary code slows down your site. A lot of template or wordpress sites include a ton of options that you will never use, in return slows down the site. I know some people don’t think about page speed affecting anything, but Google does.

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine_optimization

User experience

A custom designed website gives you full creative control, allowing you to create a great user experience and usability. Customers are less concerned about a pretty design, and more about how it functions. We at Creative Programs and Systems focus on both user experience and user interface. Whether a customer is looking for products to buy, information to read, or just browsing a photo gallery, you need your site to browse easy. If your customer has to hunt around for information, chances are they will push the back button and go to a competitor’s site.

Custom web sites are fitted to your brand

No one else will have your design! This is important for brand identity and setting you apart from the competition. You don’t want your site to look like everyone else, like a template will. That’s why we custom code every site, in house!

Learn more about Creative Programs and Systems, CPS, and the IT solutions they provide including IT consulting, computer consulting, network consulting, networking, server installation, IT disaster recovery, computer repair, virus removal, malware removal, computer tune ups, data backup systems, computer troubleshooting, structured cabling, low voltage wiring, website design, graphic design, logo design, website hosting, search engine placement, iphone app programming, android app programming, and custom programming at www.cpsmi.com.  To contact one of our IT experts call 810.224.5252 today or via email at info@cpsmi.com.

Search engine optimization or SEO for short helps you get noticed on the search engine results page. This allows potential customers to reach you. When they type in a word, the search engine pulls up relevant information. This would be called your “Organic” traffic, as you are not paying for the traffic like Pay-Per Click (Google Adwords). SEO is going to be your new best friend for reaching customers interested in your website.

Who needs SEO?

SEO is one of those things that every website can benefit from. It’s safe to assume that most website owners are utilizing SEO practices, and not even realizing it. Chances are if you have good quality content and it’s relevant to your site you are almost optimized. Of course there are a few little tricks you can do, but that is beyond this article.

Are all search engines the same?

In 2017 Google and Bing are the biggest names in search engines. However, other engines are not far behind. Other than Google my new favorite engine is DuckDuckGo! Their motto is “The search engine that doesn’t track you”. Other than not tracking data I love the bang! Feature. The bang feature is a search engine inside a search engine. What I mean by this is you can search inside of Amazon, eBay, and even social media right from duckduckgo’s main site. Here’s how it works: say you want to search Amazon for computers you type !amazon computers in the search box. It will then go to amazon and display computers as a result. Give it a try!

Do search engines display the same results?

This is like does a Ford run like a Chevy? They both get you from point A to B, but in reality they are different. This goes for search engines. They display search results but every engine does it in a different way. From how it looks, to the results it pulls. That is why when people do research they might use a few different search engines.

Learn more about Creative Programs and Systems, CPS, and the IT solutions they provide including IT consulting, computer consulting, network consulting, networking, server installation, IT disaster recovery, computer repair, virus removal, malware removal, computer tune ups, data backup systems, computer troubleshooting, structured cabling, low voltage wiring, website design, graphic design, logo design, website hosting, search engine placement, iphone app programming, android app programming, and custom programming at www.cpsmi.com.  To contact one of our IT experts call 810.224.5252 today or via email at info@cpsmi.com.

A good web design is a must for a any website. Most of the businesses have online presence but among these, a few have a good design. Web-development, though seems simple, it requires attention to detail. If you’re website is designed poorly, or above all, is developed on a stock WordPress theme, this is not going to give you optimum results. Here are the reasons you need a good design on your website.

1. First Impression Lasts

No, this is not just a cliché. Just put yourself in the web-user’s shoes, learn their behavior. There are certain habits which are similar to most of the web users. A web user is not so different than a potential customer who has gotten a whiff about your store. A web user would just take a glance at a new page, skim through the text and open the link which seems interesting to him or her. He/she would not even look at most of the page. There is a pattern of an internet user’s behavior. Here it is:

• People on internet go for credibility and quality. If they find low quality content, or something which does not conform to facts, they are pretty unlikely to return to your website again.
• They would not read through your text. They will just analyze the web-page and find something which seems to be fulfilling their purpose to visit the site.
• They don’t do the analysis by considering all the available options. They would just get the first reasonable information source. So, be the link which seems to be leading them to fulfillment of their purpose.

2. You Are What You Show

Your potential client is going to look at you in the way you portray yourself. Your website is you, the client is interacting with you through your website so make sure that it leaves an impression. Also, a strong web-design adds legitimacy to your business, and people value authenticity.

3. It Is Your Chance of Branding

Your website is your portal for public branding. You have the chance to tell people from all around the world about your company. It builds the image of your business, and a poorly built website is not going to leave a good impression of your business upon your potential clients. Your website should be telling people about what kind of brand are you; it should be reflecting the tone and mood of your business.

4. A Good Web Design Brings People from All Devices

You must be aware of the fact that mobile users are increasing in figures like mammoth. So, during web-development, you should take care of the website’s design and make it responsive for all devices and screen sizes. Moreover, creating an app for your business can also help you look more credible.

Conclusively, as the web users are becoming more aware and sensible, it is imperative for the growth of your business to not just have a website, but a well-designed website.

Learn more about Creative Programs and Systems, CPS, and the IT solutions they provide including IT consulting, computer consulting, network consulting, networking, server installation, IT disaster recovery, computer repair, virus removal, malware removal, computer tune ups, data backup systems, computer troubleshooting, structured cabling, low voltage wiring, website design, graphic design, logo design, website hosting, search engine placement, iphone app programming, android app programming, and custom programming at www.cpsmi.com.  To contact one of our IT experts call 810.224.5252 today or via email at info@cpsmi.com.

With the expanding usage of tablets, smart phones, and other mobile devices that are available today, app development for companies is incredibly significant to growing your business. Apps have achieved striking development in helping to achieve better customer service and efficiency in day to day business operations.

Thinking about creating an iphone or android app can be hard if you don’t have any knowledge about app development.  This is why it many people turn to app developers specializing in app development.  Specialists in the app development industry proposed that over 2.3 million people are currently developing apps around the world. For you, it is important to choose a company that specializes in app development over throwing your money away on hiring someone one that may have developed an app or two in their day, as is the case more often than not.  On the off-chance that you pick any of them without putting in excessive thought into it, you may risk settling for a wrong choice.

Here, in this article, you will discover a couple of tips on the best way to hire a great app developer.

1. Search App Developers Profiles

You can begin by searching on freelance sites to check a developer’s profile, list of customers and possible references.  These independent sites can assist you in discovering app developers. Another option is locating developer groups online can also be an extraordinary asset for discovering android app programmers since many some of them offers designs with iOS and Android development services.

2. Have a List of Candidates

Once you have found an app developer, you will want to ensure this developer can meet your needs. Don’t snap up the least expensive or the quickest offers. You need to make a list of candidates and thoroughly research their qualifications.

3. Access the Experience of the App Builder

It is very crucial that you check the experience and work of the app builder whom you will contract with. A specialist with mobile application designs will be prepared to furnish you with applications they have created and those that are not in their portfolio. The great designer can likewise address any scope of difficulties that will hinder the success of your app.

4. Skill to Develop Apps That Can Run on Multiple Platforms

In other to target a huge number of audiences, you may want to discharge the application on every significant platform, for example, iOS, Windows and Android. Make sure that the designer you want to hire is well talented to create applications for various stages. Clear this point with your potential app developer before doling into investing your money.

5. Concentrate on Quality Rather Than on Price

Choosing cheap options won’t always work well. Keep in mind that the cost of an investment frequently relies upon its complexities. In the event that your prerequisite is to build up a game application, comprehend that it will be costly since they include complex coding. Quality ought to be the real need. Make sure that applications that you offer aren’t of low quality and are easy to understand. Else, it can end up being more costly over the long haul.

6. Honesty and Business Ethics

Any association ought to be first of all based on honesty. Hire an app developer that esteems honesty and doesn’t take cover behind complex technical words that can confound facts. The app developer you contract with should take pride in his/her work and makes the procedure as straightforward as conceivable with the goal that you can assess the work for yourself, regardless of the possibility that you are not a specialized individual.

7. Take Advantage of Previous Clients Reference

Do a historical verification of the app developer whom you want to for your work. Check the sorts of application they have created in the past and evaluate how effective they are at their function. Additionally, check their past customers (if possible) and get references.

Learn more about Creative Programs and Systems, CPS, and the IT solutions they provide including IT consulting, computer consulting, network consulting, networking, server installation, IT disaster recovery, computer repair, virus removal, malware removal, computer tune ups, data backup systems, computer troubleshooting, structured cabling, low voltage wiring, website design, graphic design, logo design, website hosting, search engine placement, iphone app programming, android app programming, and custom programming at www.cpsmi.com.  To contact one of our IT experts call 810.224.5252 today or via email at info@cpsmi.com.

Search engine algorithms are constantly updated, making SEO an ever expanding field.  If you want to give your website every chance of scoring a prominent place in the search engines you now have a lot more to do, and even more to remember.

It’s no wonder that many companies are bungling their SEO placement efforts and losing tons of money in the process. It’s time to learn how to do SEO right and stop making the mistakes that are tanking your earnings.

The extra work is worth it, as getting the top spot in the search engines will give your conversions a boost of around 8.5 times greater than any other lead generation method.

The single biggest mistake most businesses make with their website is not getting found for keywords related to their business. Another common mistake is getting found for the wrong keywords because they have failed to optimize their content.

One of the first steps to getting a first-page ranking is knowing what keywords to use in your copy or blog posts. Use the Google Keyword Tool to discover the keywords your target market is typing into the search engines to find out about the services or products related to your business.

When a website is new, you will often see better results by targeting long-tail keywords – which are keywords containing three or more words. Long tail keywords usually have fewer searches but also less competition, so it’s easier to rank a page.

You also need to know what keywords not to target. If you’re going to try and rank for every keyword, then you most likely aren’t going to rank for any of them.

Plus, if customers are finding your site for the wrong keywords they are going to ‘bounce’ off your site and go back to the search results to find a more relevant page.

As bounce rate is a metric Google puts a lot of emphasis on when deciding which page to rank for a given term you want the keywords your business gets found for to be super relevant to your content.

Search engine placement is a vast and ever-expanding topic, but keywords are integral to being found and securing highly targeted leads. Start improving your results by making sure your site is providing the best solution in relation to the keywords you are targeting.

Learn more about Creative Programs and Systems, CPS, and the IT solutions they provide including IT consulting, computer consulting, network consulting, networking, server installation, IT disaster recovery, computer repair, virus removal, malware removal, computer tune ups, data backup systems, computer troubleshooting, structured cabling, low voltage wiring, website design, graphic design, logo design, website hosting, search engine placement, iphone app programming, android app programming, and custom programming at www.cpsmi.com.  To contact one of our IT experts call 810.224.5252 today or via email at info@cpsmi.com.

It can bе a gut punch tо rеаlіzе that уоur PC mау bе іnfесtеd with virus (thе саtсhаll tеrm for vіruѕеѕ, Trоjаnѕ, worms, аnd other nаѕtіеѕ). If уоu dоn’t hаvе аntіvіruѕ ѕоftwаrе installed аnd rеаdу to сlеаn your system, thе ѕіtuаtіоn can dеtеrіоrаtе quickly. But wе have tірѕ for bаѕіс damage соntrоl fоr уоur соmрutеr аnd thе devices іt’ѕ соnnесtеd to.

Dіѕсоnnесt уоur PC frоm the network

Virus’ frеԛuеntlу uѕеѕ the Intеrnеt tо соnnесt уоur PC tо аnоthеr соmрutеr that mау gіvе you іnѕtruсtіоnѕ, mаkе it transmit dаtа оr bоth. Vіruѕ can еvеn rесеіvе раtсhеѕ to fіx bugѕ аnd performance, juѕt as thе legit ѕоftwаrе does. Anоthеr fаvоrіtе асtіvіtу is to ѕеаrсh уоur hоmе’ѕ lосаl nеtwоrk for other computers to infect. That’s оnе оf thе reasons to рrасtісе gооd ѕесurіtу whеn uѕіng рublіс Wi-Fi, аnd thе rеаѕоn whу you ѕhоuld dіѕсоnnесt a PC that уоu believe has been infected.

If уоu are uѕіng аn Internet connection, just unрlug the Intеrnеt саblе. If you аrе uѕіng Wі-Fі оn a laptop, thеrе іѕ uѕuаllу a ѕwіtсh аt thе top оf the kеуbоаrd thаt will tоgglе уоur Wi-Fi оff аnd on. If you аrе using Wi-Fi оn a dеѕktор PC, there usually іѕn’t a ѕwіtсh, and thе vіruѕ mау blосk ѕоftwаrе-bаѕеd аttеmрtѕ tо ѕhut down уоur nеtwоrk соnnесtіоn. You mау аlѕо have both Intеrnеt and Wі-Fі орtіоnѕ оn thе same device, іn whісh саѕе you should disable bоth.

Shut dоwn уоur PC

Even іf the vіruѕ loses іtѕ Internet соnnесtіоn, it саn hаrm the dеvісе that it’s аlrеаdу оn, bу deleting or соrruрtіng fіlеѕ or ransoming thеm. Rаnѕоmwаrе еnсrурtѕ files that appear tо bе іmроrtаnt (mауbе уоur whole Dосumеntѕ fоldеr, fоr еxаmрlе), thеn dеmаndѕ that уоu pay tо rеgаіn ассеѕѕ tо thоѕе fіlеѕ. Sо еvеn if уоu remove rаnѕоmwаrе from уоur ѕуѕtеm, уоu hаvеn’t removed the encryption. That requires a password — designed tо be fаr tоо complex tо guess оr crack in a rеаѕоnаblе аmоunt of tіmе.

Vіruѕ may аttеmрt tо рrеvеnt уоu frоm ѕhuttіng down уоur PC, but уоu саn gеt around that bу hоldіng down thе роwеr button оn уоur PC for about fіvе ѕесоndѕ. This wіll fоrсе a ѕhutdоwn, so ѕаvе уоur documents аnd сlоѕе programs bеfоrе уоu рrосееd, оr еlѕе уоu mау соrruрt files.

Back up уоur fіlеѕ

Circumstances lіkе thіѕ аrе whу rеgulаr backups of уоur dаtа аrе ѕо іmроrtаnt. Put уоur ѕtuff in a ѕесurе cloud, put іt on аn еxtеrnаl drіvе, and store соріеѕ оf уоur rеаllу іmроrtаnt fіlеѕ. Your bеѕt preparation against vіruѕ іѕ tо kеер multірlе соріеѕ of уоur dаtа in multiple locations.

If уоu have a rеѕсuе dіѕk оr thumb drіvе, уоu саn ѕtаrt your computer and tеll іt to boot from this ѕtоrаgе mеdіum. Thе rесоvеrу disk оr drіvе lоаdѕ a ѕсаnnеr thаt уоu’vе installed on it, аnd it looks at уоur infected соmрutеr’ѕ іntеrnаl ѕtоrаgе dеvісеѕ fоr vіruѕ bеfоrе Wіndоwѕ loads. Yоu саn, оf course, scan уоur соmрutеr аftеr Windows bооtѕ, but ѕоmе virus can іntеrfеrе with or block thе ѕсаnnіng process, оr simply hіdе mоrе еаѕіlу.

Ideally, you ѕhоuld рlаn аhеаd and сrеаtе a rescue tool bеfоrе you run іntо a vіruѕ. But іf your PC’ѕ already іnfесtеd, уоu nееd a second PC that has an Internet connection or an аntіvіruѕ app with аn еmеrgеnсу media-creation fеаturе. If уоu trу to сrеаtе a rеѕсuе disk оn thе іnfесtеd mасhіnе, thе vіruѕ mау tаmреr with thе process or even copy vіruѕ оntо the mеdіа. Yоu аlѕо nееd a blаnk DVD аnd DVD burnеr оr else an empty USB thumb drive.

Bооt from thе rеѕсuе dіѕk

The рrосеѕѕ for tеllіng a computer to bооt frоm a DVD оr thumb drіvе іnѕtеаd оf Wіndоwѕ vаrіеѕ bу dеvісе. You may have tо соnѕult уоur PC’ѕ documentation to figure whаt buttоnѕ to рrеѕѕ. For еxаmрlе, sometimes уоu juѕt tар F11 while уоur PC іѕ ѕtаrtіng up to gеt a list of dеvісеѕ уоu саn bооt frоm. Navigate thе lіѕt with your keyboard’s аrrоw kеуѕ аnd select with the Enter kеу. Othеr tіmеѕ you muѕt dіvе into the BIOS оr UEFI — a rudimentary іntеrfасе thаt соntrоlѕ mаnу of thе funсtіоnѕ of thе dіffеrеnt соmроnеntѕ іnѕіdе уоur computer — аnd hunt fоr mеnu options related tо bооtіng, then ѕаvе your changes and exit.

Even аftеr you mаkе and bооt a rеѕсuе dіѕk, it mау not dеtесt thе virus, оr thе іѕѕuе mау not bе vіruѕ-rеlаtеd. But аѕ long аѕ you tаkе action ԛuісklу аgаіnѕt vіruѕ, and as lоng аѕ уоu regularly backup уоur dаtа tо multiple lосаtіоnѕ, уоu саn hеlр prevent tоtаl disaster: thе permanent loss оf сrіtісаl files.

Learn more about Creative Programs and Systems, CPS, and the IT solutions they provide including IT consulting, computer consulting, network consulting, networking, server installation, IT disaster recovery, computer repair, virus removal, malware removal, computer tune ups, data backup systems, computer troubleshooting, structured cabling, low voltage wiring, website design, graphic design, logo design, website hosting, search engine placement, iphone app programming, android app programming, and custom programming at www.cpsmi.com.  To contact one of our IT experts call 810.224.5252 today or via email at info@cpsmi.com.

You likely already know if your computer is running correctly. In today’s fast passed electronic world it’s impossible not to notice when your electronics are not in tip top shape. Even minor glitches can result in major productivity losses. These glitches can nearly always be traced back to hardware or software issues.

As with many other devise computers were out over time. Most have moving internals prone to wear just like the tires on your car. Eventually these parts break down and need to be replaced. Even if your computer is mechanically sound software can become bloated and slow over time. Things like updates and ever more demanding software can cripple your once snappy PC.

It is vital to your productivity, and likely sanity, to keep your computer happily buzzing along. Here are some tips that can help minimize computer problems and your devices start to age:

1. Keep your computer clean. Heat is one of the biggest killers of computer components. Many components are designed around a steady amount of airflow to keep them cool. Excess heat causes components to wear prematurely or in some cases give up the ghost entirely. Most heat issues can be resolved by simply blowing out the vents of your computer with a can of compressed air once every few months.
2. Run a credible anti-virus software. Some performance issues can be traced back to malicious software on your computer. While some infections harass you with advertisement and pop-ups, others silently siphon resources away. These silent infections join your computer to something known as a bot net. Hackers use these to spread more infections or hack other targets.
3. Keep your systems up to date. Updates are frequently release to improve performance or resolve issues as they are discovered. Keeping your computer updated will ensure your computer is secure and operating as intended.
4. Defragment your computer. As your computer moves data, the hard drive becomes “fragmented”. Your files are stored in many pieces across various areas of the hard drive. As the pieces get farther away from each other your performance will start to suffer. Newer operating systems like Windows 10 defragment automatically.

5. Upgrade your RAM. As programs are updated they can frequently become more demanding on your computer. One easy way to stay ahead of this problem is to upgrade your computers RAM or memory. The computer temporarily stores data in RAM for quick access. When it’s all in use the computer has to access your hard drive every time it needs a file resulting dramatic performance loss.

6. Reduce clutter. It’s always a good idea to keep your hard drive as clean as possible. While this shouldn’t stop you from downloading your favorite movies or music, you should consider removing software you are never going to use again. Computer can run into issues when your hard drive is at 85% capacity or above. Removing old software helps free up space and removes and old processes that may be using resources in the background.

Following these basic steps will help keep your computer functioning as intended. In this new technology depended world there should be a new phrase, “Happy device-Happy life”

Learn more about Creative Programs and Systems, CPS, and the IT solutions they provide including IT consulting, computer consulting, network consulting, networking, server installation, IT disaster recovery, computer repair, virus removal, malware removal, computer tune ups, data backup systems, computer troubleshooting, structured cabling, low voltage wiring, website design, graphic design, logo design, website hosting, search engine placement, iphone app programming, android app programming, and custom programming at www.cpsmi.com.  To contact one of our IT experts call 810.224.5252 today or via email at info@cpsmi.com.

Search engine optimization, otherwise known as SEO, is very important to entrepreneurs who want to promote their business, obtain new clients, and retain current clients. SEO allows business owners to connect with potential clients searching for their products or services, helping to turn them into customers. Keywords, link building, updated content, trust, and more all helps to increase the visibility of a website and lead to a higher number of visitors to the website.

While it may not be straightforward or easy, implementing an effective SEO strategy, especially with recent updates to Google’s ranking algorithm, the Google Keyword Planner, and organic listings are all possible. It is important to determine how customers will search your website as well as how and what you must offer as optimized keywords on your landing page.

Depending on your product, a website design and layout is very important to the overall SEO process. There are two types of websites including: custom coded and templates.  Both types of websites have their pros and cons.

Many websites today are developed through a content management system, which allows companies to easily and quickly update their sites without technical support. The most popular CMS is WordPress.  It can easily be customized to fit a company’s needs and brand.

Custom coded websites are not created from a template instead are custom designed by a team of graphic designers and programmers from scratch.  These sites can be a bit more expensive and take a bit longer to develop.  A custom designed site can also be better for search engine optimization and placement of your website within search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing.

Custom Coded Website

• Custom websites are built from scratch rather than from a box. Custom websites allow you to show your company’s culture and personality using a unique design. The design can be presented, revised, and built into a custom platform for your website.
• A custom website is always expandable. Customized features are added to make your website more flexible and easier to manage.
• Custom sites are up-to-date with SEO and code practices. This all helps to increase the longevity of the website.
• You have access via your account to the support of skilled developers who code from scratch as well as troubleshoot and fix bugs that may arise on the site.

Website Template

• Website templates are user-friendly. You can change the colors and the fonts but the layout is pretty much set-up for you.
• You can always change the layout just to avoid other websites resembling yours.
• Website templates are often plug and play and take a very short time to develop.
• They are less expensive, especially for start-up companies that need a website up quickly and on a low budget.

Templates have limited customization, which is good for companies who simply need to s of website templates is that there is limited to virtually no access to skilled developers.  Templates are purchased online and will never gain you access to the person who built it.  This reason alone makes a custom website a better option.

Learn more about Creative Programs and Systems, CPS, and the IT solutions they provide including IT consulting, computer consulting, network consulting, networking, server installation, IT disaster recovery, computer repair, virus removal, malware removal, computer tune ups, data backup systems, computer troubleshooting, structured cabling, low voltage wiring, website design, graphic design, logo design, website hosting, search engine placement, iphone app programming, android app programming, and custom programming at www.cpsmi.com.  To contact one of our IT experts call 810.224.5252 today or via email at info@cpsmi.com.