How to Create an In-Depth Content Hub

Competition for search engine ranking is fierce, with the top three search results owning 55% of all traffic.

And the first result? They take almost 29% of those clicks.

So how do you get your website to that coveted first spot? By understanding how Google works and how to give them exactly what they’re looking for.

A content hub is a great way to show search engines that your site is an authority on a certain topic. Hubs are a collection of all your content on a specific subject, and they’re designed to be a comprehensive resource on that topic.

In this post, I’ll provide answers to questions like “what is a content hub?’ showcase how important content hubs are for SEO, and discuss how to create a content hub for your blog information.

What is a Content Hub?

A content hub is a section of your website that contains all the information related to a specific topic.

The goal of a content hub is twofold:

1) To be an authoritative resource on the chosen topic.

2) To increase traffic and conversions by ranking highly in search engines.

A content hub is different from a blog in that the goal is not to produce new content regularly. Instead, the focus is on curating and organizing all your existing content on a topic in one place. Content hubs are also sometimes called “resource centers” or “information hubs.” In addition, when net new pieces come out after your content hub is created, they can also fall into that space.

What Are the Different Parts of a Content Hub?

When learning how to build a content hub, it’s important to understand that there are three different types of content that should be included in a content hub:

Blog Posts
Videos
Infographics

Blog posts are the bread and butter of a content hub. They provide in-depth information on the chosen topic and can be easily repurposed into other types of content, like infographics or videos.

Videos are a great way to break up long blocks of text and add some visual interest to a content hub. They can be used to introduce the topic, provide step-by-step instructions or give a behind-the-scenes look at your company.

Infographics are a great way to visualize data and complex concepts. They’re also easy to share on social media and are often repinned or shared by other blogs and websites.

Why Are Content Hubs Useful for SEO?

Content hubs are useful for SEO because they show search engines that your website is an authority on a certain topic. When you have a content hub, all of your content on that topic is in one place. This makes it easy for search engines to find and index your content.

Along with this, content hubs provide an easy way for people to navigate your website and find the information they’re looking for. When everything is organized in one place, users are less likely to get frustrated and leave your site.

They also help you prioritize your SEO efforts by giving you the opportunity to include more keywords and phrases related to your topic. This helps you rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) for those keywords.

How to Create a Content Hub

Now that you know what a content hub is and how to use a content hub for SEO, let’s talk about how to build one.

There are two different ways you can build a content hub:

You can create a new website or section on your existing website specifically for your content hub.
You can create a content hub using an existing piece of content, like a blog post or video.

If you have an existing website, I recommend adjusting your website structure to create a new section for your content hub. This will make it easier for search engines to find and index your content.

Creating a new website or section on your existing website specifically for your content hub has a few benefits:

It keeps your content organized and easy to find.
It helps you rank for long-tail keywords related to your content hub topic.
It establishes you as an authority on that topic.

If you want to use an existing piece of content as your content hub, that’s fine, too. Just be sure to include links to other related content on your website so search engines can find it.

Follow these steps on how to create a content hub:

Plan where your hub will sit on your site
Choose a central topic
Choose subtopics
Audit your existing content
Start ideating your content pieces and strategy
Create and implement your content
Implement a measurement strategy and track your success

Let’s take a closer look at these steps.

Plan Where Your Content Hub For SEO Will Sit on Your Site

Your content hub should be easy to find and navigate. I recommend putting it in the main navigation of your website. This will make it easy for both users and search engines to find.

If you have a lot of content on your website, you may want to create multiple content hubs. This is especially useful if you have different products or services that you want to promote.

For example, if you sell both men’s and women’s clothing, you could create a separate content hub for each. This would be a good way to target different keywords and appeal to different audiences.

Choose a Central Topic

Before you start creating content for your hub, you need to choose a central topic. This will be the main focus of your content hub.

To choose a central topic, start by brainstorming a list of potential topics. Then, narrow down your list by choosing a topic that:

Is relevant to your business
Has a lot of search volume
Is something you can write about in-depth

Choose Subtopics

Once you’ve chosen a central topic, it’s time to choose some subtopics. Subtopics are related to your central topic but are narrower in scope. For example, if your central topic is “SEO,” a subtopic could be “link building.”

Your subtopics should be relevant to your central topic, but they should also be something you can write about in-depth. This is important because you want your content hub to be a comprehensive resource on your chosen topic.

To choose subtopics, start by brainstorming a list of potential topics. Then, narrow down your list by choosing topics that:

Are relevant to your central topic
Have a lot of search volume
Are something you can add it naturally

If you’re struggling to get started with topic creation, my tool Ubersuggest is a great way to get a data-backed list of starter topics to start working with for your content hub.

Audit Your Existing Content

Before you start creating new content for your hub, take a look at the content you already have on your website. You may have some articles or blog posts that would be a good fit for your content hub and fit into your topics and overall strategy.

To audit your existing content, start by doing a search on your website for relevant keywords. Then, go through each piece of content and decide if it’s relevant to your content hub.

If it is, add it to your list of potential content for your hub. Even if the piece needs some editing, it will save you the time you would be spending on creating a net-new piece.

Start Ideating Your Content Pieces and Strategy

Once you’ve got a good idea of the content you already have, it’s time to start creating content for your content hub. When you’re planning your content, there are a few things to keep in mind:

Your content should be comprehensive and cover all aspects of your topic.
Your content should be well-researched and accurate.
Your content should be well-written and engaging.
Your content should be visually appealing and easy to read.
You should include calls-to-action (CTAs) throughout your content.

When you’re planning your content, it can be helpful to create a content strategy. This will help you map out what content you need to create and how it will all fit together.

To create a content strategy, start by making a list of all the content you want to include in your hub. Then, categorize your content by topic. This will help you see how everything fits together and what topics you need to write about. Keyword research, to an extent, can guide you on some topics to cover, but you want to be careful. Reusing the same keywords across multiple pages can lead to cannibalization, where they start competing with each other for SERP dominance.

Another important thing to consider when creating your content hub is internal linking. For SEO purposes, it’s key to make sure that your related content is interlinking with each other, using strong anchor text.

Create and Implement Your Content Hub For SEO

With your plan in place, it’s time to create the content to add to the hub. Once written, get ready to implement your plan. Your content hub will live on your website, but how you implement it will depend on your website’s structure. It could live on a separate page under a resources section, or it could be directly linked on your homepage.

Once you’ve decided how you want to implement your content hub, it’s time to start publishing your content. When publishing, it’s important to think about your cadence. How often would you like to publish your content and what’s your bandwidth to do so? Ideally, the more content you have, the better. Giving yourself a schedule — whether it’s every Thursday or once a month — will ensure you are growing your content hub and enhancing your website visibility within search pages.

As you add each piece of content, make sure to link to it from your landing page using relevant anchor text. This will help users navigate through your content and find what they’re looking for.

When you have all your content added, it’s time to start promoting it. Share your content on social media, in email newsletters and on other websites. The more people that see your content, the more traffic you’ll get to your site.

Implement a Measuring Strategy and Track Your Success

To measure the success of your content hub, track how much traffic it’s getting and how long users are spending on each page. You can also track how many people are subscribing to your email list or following you on social media.

By tracking these metrics, you’ll be able to see how successful your content hub is and how it’s impacting your business.

Some helpful metrics to track include:

Pageviews: Track how many people are viewing your content hub.
Average time on page: Track how long users are spending on each page of your content hub.
Bounce rate: Track how many people are leaving your site after viewing only one page.
Social media followers: Track how many people are following you on social media.
Email subscribers: Track how many people are subscribing to your email list.
Conversion rate: Track how many people are taking the desired action on your site, such as subscribing to your email list or buying a product—converting your blog readers to leads.

If you’re not seeing the results you want, you can make changes to your content or promotion strategy and track how those changes impact your metrics.

To measure your results, consider using an analytics tool like Google Analytics or HubSpot. These tools will help you track your traffic and understand how users are interacting with your content.

How To Create A Content Hub FAQs

How do I internally link in a content hub?

When you’re adding content to your hub, make sure to link to other articles and blog posts on your site. This will help users navigate through your content and find what they’re looking for.

Why should I invest in a content hub?

Content hubs are a great way to improve your SEO and drive traffic to your website. By creating a comprehensive resource, you’ll be able to rank for more keywords and attract more visitors. A content hub can also help you generate leads and build relationships with potential customers. By providing valuable information, you’ll be able to build trust with your audience and position yourself as an expert in your industry.

What are the different types of content hubs?

There are three types of content hubs:

A collection of blog posts on a specific topic
A library of resources such as ebooks, guides, and templates
A directory of businesses or service providers

How often should I update my content hub?

You should aim to update your content hub at least once a month. This will help you keep your content fresh and relevant. If you have any breaking news or new product launches, be sure to update your content hub as soon as possible.

Do I need a content strategy for my content hub?

Yes, it’s important to have a content strategy when creating a content hub. This will help you map out what content you need to create and how it will all fit together. Without a plan, it will be difficult to create a comprehensive resource that covers all aspects of your chosen topic.

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How To Create A Content Hub Conclusion

Now that you understand how to create a content hub, it’s time to get started.

Remember those first result clicks I mentioned earlier? You want those clicks to be for your site. And a content hub will help you move up the rankings to do just that.

I don’t expect you to get this done immediately. SEO is a long-game strategy that yields big results.

But with a little effort, you can create a valuable resource, aka a content hub, to establish your brand and attract more visitors.

Continue experimenting with content ideas and adding new pieces to your content hub, and you’ll quickly establish an audience that values your content, helping you move up those search result pages.

Do you have any tips for creating a content hub? Share them in the comments below!

The post How to Create an In-Depth Content Hub appeared first on #1 SEO FOR SMALL BUSINESSES.

The post How to Create an In-Depth Content Hub appeared first on Buy It At A Bargain – Deals And Reviews.

How to Create an In-Depth Content Hub

Competition for search engine ranking is fierce, with the top three search results owning 55% of all traffic.

And the first result? They take almost 29% of those clicks.

So how do you get your website to that coveted first spot? By understanding how Google works and how to give them exactly what they’re looking for.

In this post, I’ll provide answers to questions like “what is a content hub?’ showcase how important content hubs are for SEO, and discuss how to create a content hub for your blog information.

What is a Content Hub?

A content hub is a section of your website that contains all the information related to a specific topic.

The goal of a content hub is twofold:

1) To be an authoritative resource on the chosen topic.

2) To increase traffic and conversions by ranking highly in search engines.

What Are the Different Parts of a Content Hub?

When learning how to build a content hub, it’s important to understand that there are three different types of content that should be included in a content hub:

Blog Posts
Videos
Infographics

Blog posts are the bread and butter of a content hub. They provide in-depth information on the chosen topic and can be easily repurposed into other types of content, like infographics or videos.

Infographics are a great way to visualize data and complex concepts. They’re also easy to share on social media and are often repinned or shared by other blogs and websites.

A example of an explanatory infographic.

Why Are Content Hubs Useful for SEO?

How to Create a Content Hub

Now that you know what a content hub is and how to use a content hub for SEO, let’s talk about how to build one.

There are two different ways you can build a content hub:

You can create a new website or section on your existing website specifically for your content hub.
You can create a content hub using an existing piece of content, like a blog post or video.

If you have an existing website, I recommend adjusting your website structure to create a new section for your content hub. This will make it easier for search engines to find and index your content.

Creating a new website or section on your existing website specifically for your content hub has a few benefits:

It keeps your content organized and easy to find.
It helps you rank for long-tail keywords related to your content hub topic.
It establishes you as an authority on that topic.

If you want to use an existing piece of content as your content hub, that’s fine, too. Just be sure to include links to other related content on your website so search engines can find it.

Follow these steps on how to create a content hub:

Plan where your hub will sit on your site
Choose a central topic
Choose subtopics
Audit your existing content
Start ideating your content pieces and strategy
Create and implement your content
Implement a measurement strategy and track your success

Let’s take a closer look at these steps.

Plan Where Your Content Hub For SEO Will Sit on Your Site

Your content hub should be easy to find and navigate. I recommend putting it in the main navigation of your website. This will make it easy for both users and search engines to find.

If you have a lot of content on your website, you may want to create multiple content hubs. This is especially useful if you have different products or services that you want to promote.

Choose a Central Topic

Before you start creating content for your hub, you need to choose a central topic. This will be the main focus of your content hub.

To choose a central topic, start by brainstorming a list of potential topics. Then, narrow down your list by choosing a topic that:

Is relevant to your business
Has a lot of search volume
Is something you can write about in-depth

Choose Subtopics

To choose subtopics, start by brainstorming a list of potential topics. Then, narrow down your list by choosing topics that:

Are relevant to your central topic
Have a lot of search volume
Are something you can add it naturally

If you’re struggling to get started with topic creation, my tool Ubersuggest is a great way to get a data-backed list of starter topics to start working with for your content hub.

Audit Your Existing Content

To audit your existing content, start by doing a search on your website for relevant keywords. Then, go through each piece of content and decide if it’s relevant to your content hub.

If it is, add it to your list of potential content for your hub. Even if the piece needs some editing, it will save you the time you would be spending on creating a net-new piece.

Start Ideating Your Content Pieces and Strategy

Once you’ve got a good idea of the content you already have, it’s time to start creating content for your content hub. When you’re planning your content, there are a few things to keep in mind:

Your content should be comprehensive and cover all aspects of your topic.
Your content should be well-researched and accurate.
Your content should be well-written and engaging.
Your content should be visually appealing and easy to read.
You should include calls-to-action (CTAs) throughout your content.

When you’re planning your content, it can be helpful to create a content strategy. This will help you map out what content you need to create and how it will all fit together.

Create and Implement Your Content Hub For SEO

As you add each piece of content, make sure to link to it from your landing page using relevant anchor text. This will help users navigate through your content and find what they’re looking for.

Implement a Measuring Strategy and Track Your Success

By tracking these metrics, you’ll be able to see how successful your content hub is and how it’s impacting your business.

Some helpful metrics to track include:

Pageviews: Track how many people are viewing your content hub.
Average time on page: Track how long users are spending on each page of your content hub.
Bounce rate: Track how many people are leaving your site after viewing only one page.
Social media followers: Track how many people are following you on social media.
Email subscribers: Track how many people are subscribing to your email list.
Conversion rate: Track how many people are taking the desired action on your site, such as subscribing to your email list or buying a product—converting your blog readers to leads.

If you’re not seeing the results you want, you can make changes to your content or promotion strategy and track how those changes impact your metrics.

To measure your results, consider using an analytics tool like Google Analytics or HubSpot. These tools will help you track your traffic and understand how users are interacting with your content.

Include analytics tools when you create a content hub.

How To Create A Content Hub FAQs

How do I internally link in a content hub?

When you’re adding content to your hub, make sure to link to other articles and blog posts on your site. This will help users navigate through your content and find what they’re looking for.

Why should I invest in a content hub?

What are the different types of content hubs?

There are three types of content hubs:

A collection of blog posts on a specific topic
A library of resources such as ebooks, guides, and templates
A directory of businesses or service providers

How often should I update my content hub?

Do I need a content strategy for my content hub?

When you’re adding content to your hub, make sure to link to other articles and blog posts on your site. This will help users navigate through your content and find what they’re looking for.

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How To Create A Content Hub Conclusion

Now that you understand how to create a content hub, it’s time to get started.

Remember those first result clicks I mentioned earlier? You want those clicks to be for your site. And a content hub will help you move up the rankings to do just that.

I don’t expect you to get this done immediately. SEO is a long-game strategy that yields big results.

But with a little effort, you can create a valuable resource, aka a content hub, to establish your brand and attract more visitors.

Do you have any tips for creating a content hub? Share them in the comments below!

An In-Depth Guide to Google Analytics 4

NOTE: On June 8, 2022, Christopher Coomer, VP of Data, Analytics, and Insights at NPD, will cover the essentials of GA4 in a short presentation. This will be followed by an extensive Q&A session with webinar host Will Francis of DMI. Register here. Those who attend will receive a free follow-up guide to help them transition to GA4.

Google recently announced it is sunsetting Universal Analytics in June of 2023. This means if you’ve been holding out on switching to Google Analytics 4, your time is almost up.

I’ve heard from a lot of marketers and business owners who are not excited about the switch. Change is always hard, but I really think this switch is going to be a good thing. For starters, it provides a ton more data and is more customizable—which means you can track what matters to you, not just what Google thinks might matter to you.

This guide walks you through everything you need to know to make the switch, including what you can do with Google Analytics 4, how to make the switch, and how to get started with the new platform.

What can you expect? New report functions, enhanced features, and predictive insights make this new generation of GA more powerful than ever.

What Is Google Analytics 4?

Google Analytics 4 is the newest version of Google Analytics. This is a whole new generation of web analytics that will allow marketers to effectively analyze important customer usage metrics, not just track traffic.

Google Analytics 4 tracks the entire customer path across multiple platforms and leverages AI and machine learning to provide more detailed insights into how users interact with your website and app.

GA4 is also focused on customer privacy. This comes in the face of some of the latest privacy laws, such as GDPR and CCPA. With privacy-first tracking, cross-channel data measurement, and AI-driven predictive analytics, GA4 is an advanced tool that provides unparalleled insights.

What is the Difference Between Google Analytics 4 and Universal Analytics?

The most obvious difference between Google Analytics 4 and Universal Analytics is that GA4 enables you to report on activity that occurs on both websites and applications. There are a number of other differences, including:

Google Analytics 4 Has a New Dashboard

The first change you are likely to notice is the entirely new dashboard. It is more streamlined and many of the reports you are used to are gone or have been moved. The navigation bar to the right includes buttons for home, reports, explore, advertising, configure, and library.

At the bottom, under Insights, you’ll see predictive insights based on Google’s AI. I’ll dig more deeply into the features and what they mean in a later section, so keep reading!

All Measurements Are Events in GA4

With Universal Analytics, page views were the most important metric. With Google Analytics 4, all measurements are events. Instead of seeing generalized data, you can now gain a fuller understanding of how users interact with your app and website.

What does this mean for you? You can still view session-level reporting, but the ability to break it down by interaction means more in-depth reports and insights.

GA4 also has an array of new metrics. These include engagement metrics such as:

engaged sessions
engagement rate
engagement time

It also tracks a number of other dimensions, including attribution, demographics, events, and so forth.

This is a big change, but it’s actually going to make it easier to track customers throughout their journey. GA originally assumed page views were the most important metric—that is no longer true. The new parameters might have a learning curve, but you will have access to more data.

Gain Access to Predictive Insights With Google Analytics 4

While looking at past behaviors is helpful in understanding your audience, it doesn’t help you make proactive decisions. With GA4’s powered predictive metrics, you can make data-driven decisions on a large scale.

What does this look like? For most businesses, predictive analytics can significantly impact retargeting campaigns. AI metrics include:

purchase probability
churn probability
revenue prediction

With the above metrics, you can create audiences based on their predicted behaviors. For example, users who are likely to purchase in the next 7 days or users that are likely to spend more than $500 in one purchase.

These audiences can then be targeted using Google Ads campaigns or even on social media.

These metrics can also improve website performance. You can create custom funnels for different audiences based on their behaviors and needs. The suggestions will continue to improve as more data is collected.

GA4 Gives Marketers More Control

GA4 allows you to customize the dashboard, enabling you to see the reports that matter most to your business. It even works well in conjunction with Google Data Studio so you can create custom visualizations of the data collected.

You can also create custom segments based on trigger events which are essentially a subset of events that occurred on your website or application. This enables you to more accurately track customer interactions.

For example, you can create segments on all conversion events that occurred in a particular location. These capabilities make it possible to take a more granular view of your users and their behaviors.

Cross-Platform Tracking

What happens when users are active on more than one platform? With the old Google Analytics, tracking users across platforms was nearly impossible. The new Google Analytics 4 tracks both web and app data in one property (hence the beta name of Google Analytics App+Web).

Cross-platform tracking enables you to see the complete customer journey, including acquisition, engagement, monetization, and retention. You can use GA4 to track the user experience from start to finish—and from platform to platform.

This is done through unique user IDs assigned during app or website login.

With the appropriate gtag.js script, the user ID for each logged-in session will be sent from either the website or the application to Google Analytics. The ID will be reported to the GA4 property and any user metrics will be logged. When the user logs in again on an alternative platform, the reports will connect the user’s data to their unique ID and pick up where it left off.

This is incredibly useful information for any marketer, as it allows you to better understand the cross-platform experience of your users. The data can also be used to extrapolate information for a generalized demographic and build more accurate customer models

How to Set Up Google Analytics 4

Since Google Analytics 4 can be used for your website or application (or both), there are two separate setup processes. They are outlined below.

Alongside an Existing Property

If you currently have a Universal Analytics property for your website, then set up of a Google Analytics 4 property can be completed with the GA4 Setup Assistant.

In Google Analytics, click “Admin” on the lower left of the screen.
In the Account column, select the desired account:

How to Set Up Google Analytics 4 - Account Column

In the Property column, select the Universal Analytics property that currently collects data for your website:

How to Set Up Google Analytics 4 - Property Column

In the Property column, select GA4 Setup Assistant:

How to Set Up Google Analytics 4 - Setup Assistant

Click “Get started” under “I want to create a new Google Analytics 4 property:”

How to Set Up Google Analytics 4 - Create New GA4 Property

If your site uses the gtag.js tag, you can select “Enable data collection using your existing tags.”
Click “Create Property.”

How to Set Up Google Analytics 4 - Create a new Google Analytics 4 Property

If you are unable to “Enable data collection using your existing tags,” it’s for one of three reasons:

Your website builder/CMS doesn’t yet support the gtag.js tag.
You use Google Tag Manager.
Your website is tagged with analytics.js.

In all three cases, you’ll need to add the tag yourself.

Google Analytics for Firebase

To upgrade your Firebase account to Google Analytics 4, follow these steps:

Log in to the Firebase console.
Go to Analytics > Dashboard on the left panel.
Click “Begin upgrade” in the banner at the top of the page.
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the upgrade.

Once upgraded, you can find app analytics in both the Firebase console and Google Analytics.

How Do I Use Google Analytics 4?

Now that you understand the power of the new Google Analytics platform, I’ll walk you through how to use it. I will say there is a learning curve for the platform, and that can definitely be frustrating.

Start by following the steps below. This will help you understand the basics and how to navigate the new platform. If you still aren’t seeing the data you need, consider signing up for a longer-form course or reaching out to my team for more help.

Test The New Search Bar

The search bar in GA4 lets you access more than ever, including instant answers for specific queries (such as “how many users this month vs last year”), specific reports or insights, property configuration, or to access the help content.

Try a few queries to see what you can access, such as “how to create a report” or “top users by city.” As you learn the new dashboard, the search board will be invaluable.

Get To Know The New Dashboard

Now let’s look at the new dashboard. At first glance, it might look pretty familiar. Take a look around, however, and you’ll see most of the reports you’re used to are not where they used to be.

Here’s an annotated version of the dashboard. I’ve labeled the navigation bar on the left as well as the different displays. For this walk-through, I’m using GA’s demo account (Which you can access here), so it may look a bit different than your version, especially if you’ve already started customizing it.

NOTE: A few of the navigation menu items including Audience and Library aren’t in this screenshot, but should be accessible in your dashboard if you have editor access.

Explore The Reports Dashboard

From the dashboard, click on the second icon on the left nav bar, the one that looks like a graph: . This will take you to the reports dashboard, which shows you snapshots of different reports. Most of the reports you are used to seeing are in this tab, though they may look a bit different.

There’s a ton of data here. I won’t walk through all of it because different sites will track different metrics, so yours might look different.

But let’s say you want to see how many people viewed a specific page. In this dashboard, you’d click “engagement” and then look at the “Views by page title and screen class” chart.

You can also view acquisition, monetization, and user demographics here. If you want to compare different metrics, select the + icon at the top (next to Engagement Overview.)

Customize Your Reports Snapshot

One of my favorite features is the ability to customize the reports snapshot so you can see the data that matters most to you at a glance. This will also help you get to know GA4 a bit better so you are more comfortable using it.

First, let’s create a new report.

To start, click Library at the bottom of the left navigation bar. Note, if you don’t see this option (It’s not in the demo account), it means you don’t have admin access.

Then, scroll down to the Reports table and click Create a new report. Then, select Create an Overview Report. You’ll be asked to provide the data source and GA will walk you through creating the report. (This part changes based on the type of report.)

If you want to change the layout of your overview, click the six dotsdrag indicator. This will let you drag and drop the cards. To remove cards, click the X icon. If you want to add new cards, select +Add Cards.

Create A New Event

Events are crucial in the new Google Analytics—in fact, this is how you’ll track just about everything. You will need an editor role in GA to make these changes, so if you don’t see the options I mention, that may be the issue.

To create a new event, head to Configure > Events.
Then click Create Event.
Choose the data stream (If you have more than one property in GA)
Tap Create.
Give your report a name. I suggest creating a naming convention and sticking to it. For example, using <audience location, acquisition channel>, a report might be named “US visitors from social” or similar. Creating a standard naming convention will help keep you organized.
In the “Matching Conditions” field, enter the existing event this will be based on, such as “click.”
If you want to use the same parameters as the original event, select “copy parameters from the source event.” For example, if you want your new event to be triggered when a click occurs and already have an event for that, you’d check this box.
Specify any changes you want to make to the new event. For example, if you want to track when someone clicks and then takes another action, you’d add it here.

See Suggested Audiences

Google Analytics 4 now suggests new audiences. If you’re looking to expand your user base or break into new markets, this can be crucial information. When you create a GA4 property, you’ll tell Google about your business, including your industry category.

Google uses that information to generate new audiences that may be a good fit for your business. To view this data head to Audiences, under the Library. You’ll see suggested audiences listed under Build a New Audience.

Frequently Asked Questions About Google Analytics 4

What is Google Analytics 4?

Google Analytics 4 is a new analytics property offered by Google. It enables users to analyze data from websites, apps, or both websites and apps. It is a complete redesign of GA, so there is a bit of a learning curve.

What is the difference between Google Analytics 4 and the old GA?

The main difference between Google Analytics 4 and the old GA is in what the two different property types track. Google Analytics 4 can track the analytics of both websites and applications, while the old GA can track only website analytics.

Is Google Analytics 4 free?

Similar to Universal Analytics, Google Analytics 4 is a free property type. There are no costs associated with using one (or more) GA4 properties on your account.

Can you run Google Analytics 4 and Universal Analytics at the same time?

Yes, you can currently run both platforms parallel to each other. UA will stop gathering data in the summer of 2023, so make sure you’ve installed GA4 even if you aren’t ready for the switch quite yet.

Why is Google Analytics 4 so hard to use?

GA4 is extremely customizable, which can make it hard to learn. However, once you get a hang of it, you’ll find you have access to deeper insights you can use to grow your business.

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An In-Depth Guide to Google Analytics 4: Conclusion

Google Analytics 4 is a powerful analytics tool that provides invaluable insights into your audience. There are numerous benefits to GA4, including cross-platform tracking, more control over data, and AI-driven insights.

Fortunately, setting up a GA4 property on your website or app is easy. The steps outlined above should take you less than 10 minutes to complete, so there’s no excuse to put off the transition.

Have you made the switch to Google Analytics 4? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

The Best Help Desk Software (In-Depth Review)

Disclosure: This content is reader-supported, which means if you click on some of our links that we may earn a commission.

Unorganized support teams are a nightmare for everyone involved.

From two agents wasting time on the same request to customers or employees sitting around for hours waiting on an answer, things can get really hectic without the right tools and software. And it could even damage your reputation forever.

You don’t want that and I don’t want that for you, either.

However, choosing the best help desk software for your team isn’t an easy task. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of options to choose from.

So to help make your life a bit easier, I looked at dozens of the top options on the market and narrowed it down to my top six recommendations.

From small customer support teams to IT services and mobile field support, this guide covers it all. By the end of this post, you’ll know exactly which help desk software is right for you, regardless of your situation.

The Top 6 Options For Help Desk Software

Freshdesk – best for small to midsize businesses
Hubspot – best all-in-one customer service CRM
Zoho Desk – best for fast-growth businesses
Freshservice – best for IT service management
Happyfox – best for mobile and field support teams
Cayzu – most affordable help desk software

How to Choose The Best Help Desk Software For You

Before we dive into my top recommendations, let’s talk about what makes these tools great and what to look for when deciding which help desk software is right for you and your team.

There are tons of options to choose from, so don’t forget to keep these considerations in mind as you go through the process.

Your use cases

Help desk software exists for a number of reasons, like internal employee support and external customer support. Furthermore, different tools include varying features depending on your use cases.

So, it’s essential to consider how you plan to use the software before making a decision.

Number of agents

How many support agents do you have? Most help desk software charge by the agent, so you need to have a good idea of the number of seats you need.

Some providers also impose agent limits on specific plans, so you’ll have to upgrade to a higher tier if you need to add more agents to your account. This upgrade can be extremely pricey, especially if you’re not expecting it.

So, make sure to choose a plan that offers a bit of breathing room as you grow.

Ticket management

Tickets help you organize, route, and store help desk inquiries. So, you should make sure your software includes basic ticket management systems to help make the process faster and easier.

Furthermore, some software includes ticketing features for a wide variety of support channels, including email, live chat, social media, instant messaging, SMS, and more.

An efficient ticketing system is crucial, from automatic ticket creation and organization to smart routing and everything in between.

However, some of the options on this list limit the number of tickets you can create daily or monthly, which may be too limiting for large teams. And you may be better off choosing an unlimited plan instead.

So, keep this in mind as you make your final decision.

Support channels

What channels do you use to provide support?

Internal support teams may use instant messaging, live chat, or email while customer service teams may utilize social media, SMS, and phone calls.

Regardless of the channels you use, it’s crucial to implement software that handles everything you need.

If you already have systems in place, make sure the help desk software you choose plays well. And if you don’t, consider where your customers/employees hang out and the communication methods they’re most comfortable with.

Furthermore, you should also think about internal communication tools. One agent may need to pass an inquiry on to someone else, or they may need help answering someone’s questions.

So, it’s important to think about how your agents communicate with each other and how you plan to share information from one department to another, as well.

Other features

The best help desk software includes a variety of helpful features beyond ticketing and communication. And it’s essential to consider which features you need to streamline and optimize your support systems.

Some typical features and extras include:

Knowledgebase and self-service support
Escalation levels to the right people
Automated workflow creation
Open API integrations
Internal chat software
Cross-department collaboration
Client and contact management
Analytic dashboards
Role-based access
Ticket sorting
Time tracking

It’s also crucial to consider the specific features you need for your use cases.

Internal teams need different things than customer support teams, so keep this in mind as you go through the decision-making process.

Analytics and reporting

Data helps managers and owners understand how your service agents perform and what your customers are asking. Advanced ticket tagging and categorization can also help with the latter.

From there, you can optimize your support process and work on building a self-service knowledge base or in-depth how-to guides to quickly and efficiently answer common questions.

This frees up agents and gives them more time to handle less-common requests.

Furthermore, reports and data visualization help display information in a way that’s easy to understand. This can give you a birds-eye view of your support system and may even help you know how to better serve your team and customers.

The Different Types of Help Desk Software

There are several different types of help desk software. The best type for you depends on various factors, including the size of your business, your budget, customization, and security requirements.

Cloud or web-based — this is the most common type, and it’s often referred to as a SaaS tool because the user pays a monthly subscription to continue using the software.

Furthermore, everything is stored on the cloud or the provider’s server, so the user doesn’t need additional infrastructure or dedicated IT. Plus, the vendor is in charge of managing and maintaining the software, making it an easy and affordable option for businesses of all sizes.

All of the recommendations on this list offer a cloud or web-based solution.

On-premise — unlike cloud or web-based software, on-premise systems are installed on the user’s servers. Typically, the end-user purchases a license for the software and they’re in charge of management and maintenance.

While they’re harder to install and manage regularly, they tend to be more secure and customizable. So, it’s an excellent option for high-security industries and anyone interested in a hyper-customized solution.

However, this means a dedicated team is required to update and maintain the infrastructure.

Enterprise-grade — these are built specifically for extremely large businesses. They come with a ton of hyper-customizable features and solutions to suit the needs of enterprise businesses with massive budgets.

Enterprise help desk software comes in all shapes and sizes, from single-location businesses to international conglomerates operating worldwide.

For most users, this type of software is 100% overkill.

Open-source — this type of software is best for developers or companies with knowledgeable IT departments because you get access to its source code. This means you can modify how the software works to meet your unique requirements.

Essentially, it’s a more affordable way to get a highly customizable solution, as long as you have the skills and know-how to make it work for you.

#1 – Freshdesk Review — The best help desk software for small to midsize businesses

If manual email and social media customer service are becoming too much for your team to manage, Freshdesk is a great way to ease the burden.

Its ticketing system is straightforward to use, and it comes with numerous helpful features.

Plus, it’s incredibly affordable, and there’s a limited free forever plan with unlimited agents to try it out before you invest a single penny.

With Freshdesk, you can streamline conversations across channels in one place, create contextual conversations with anyone, automate repetitive processes to save time, automatically share solution articles, and easily monitor your team’s performance.

Furthermore, you also get access to countless support features, including:

Multi-channel team inbox
Agent collision detection
Custom ticket statuses
Scenario automations
Canned responses
Shared ownership and huddles
Linked tickets
Time tracking
Scheduling dashboard
Event and time-based automations
AI-powered chatbots
Knowledge base capabilities

On top of that, they also offer several educational courses and a fully-staffed customer support team to help you and your team get the most out of your new software.

Freshdesk has five different help desk plans to choose from, including:

Sprout — Free with limited features
Blossom — $15/agent per month
Garden — $35/agent per month
Estate — $49/agent per month
Forest — $99/agent per month

You can start with the free plan to try it out, but I highly recommend upgrading to a paid plan when you can justify it to gain access to more of their advanced features.

Each plan comes with a free 21-day trial to test the waters before making your final decision.

#2 – Hubspot Review — The best all-in-one customer service CRM

If you need a full-blown customer relationship management (CRM) tool to go along with your help desk software, Hubspot is a smart choice.

And the best part? You can get everything you need to get started for free.

With their free Service Hub, you get ticketing, meeting scheduling, reporting, a team inbox, live chat + chatbots, email templates, and team email connections.

So, it includes everything you need to start optimizing your customer support process.

But you also get several other features like tasks and activities, email tracking, contact website activity, contact management, custom fields, and more.

While Hubspot’s free plan is excellent, their paid plans offer a fantastic suite of amazing features you can use to improve your entire support system further.

Each pricing tier adds more advanced features, but their most affordable plan ($40 per month for two users) includes:

Eight hours of VoIP calling and recording
Conversational bots to create and route tickets
Simple open and close automations plus internal notifications
1,000 canned responses for frequently asked questions
Up to 1,000 email templates
Ten reporting dashboards
1,000 documents
Conversation routing
Two ticket pipelines
Up to five currencies

So, it’s quite a step up from Hubspot’s free plan. However, if you meet those limits, you have to upgrade to a higher-tiered plan. The next tier starts at $320/month, so it’s quite pricey.

Alternatively, you can opt for their Starter Growth Suite, which includes the starter plan for Hubspot CRM, the Marketing Hub, the Sales Hub, and all the service features above.

It starts at $50 per month, so it’s a super affordable way to get access to a ton of different marketing, sales, and CRM features if you need access to all of them.

Note: this is special COVID-19 pricing with regular rates starting at $112.50 per month.

#3 – Zoho Desk Review — The best help desk software for fast-growth businesses

Zoho provides countless business tools to businesses of all sizes in every industry you can imagine.

All of their software is fantastic, and their help desk software is no exception.

From affordable plans at every level and a robust free plan to incredible support features, you can rest assured that Zoho Desk has the ability to scale alongside you as your business grows.

At its core, Zoho Desk is a multi-channel ticketing system. So, you get top-of-the-line ticketing features that let you organize and streamline support inquiries, whether they’re coming from email, social media, live chat, phone, or an online form.

And as your business grows, the need for a self-service knowledge base increases. With Zoho Desk, you can quickly turn support requests into knowledgebase articles in just a few clicks to continuously grow your database.

On top of that, you also get access to a wide variety of features designed to help improve and consolidate your support processes. Some of the most popular features include:

Zia, an AI-powered digital assistant
Help center tools to design and create your knowledge base
Several ticket views and automatic ticket organization/prioritization
Advanced response editor with canned snippets
Visual process automation builder
Customization via APIs and built-in integrations
Dashboard headquarters for analytics and reporting
Custom field options for web forms

With that said, it’s important to note that lower-tiered plans don’t include every feature. So, be sure to look through each plan’s features before choosing one.

And keep in mind that you may have to upgrade to a higher plan to get what you need.

Zoho Desk plans include:

Free — For up to three agents with email ticketing and limited features
Standard — $12/agent per month with social channels, workflows, and dashboards
Professional — $20/agent per month with BPM, time tracking, and ticket sharing
Enterprise — $35/agent per month with Zia, live chat, and advanced customization

#4 – Freshservice Review — The best for IT service management

If you’re looking for a better way to handle IT support, Freshservice is one of the top options on the market. Like Freshdesk, it’s a Freshworks product, so you have a massive brand behind the software.

However, it’s built specifically for IT teams, rather than customer service.

With more people working from home, strong IT support is more critical than ever before. And you may even see an influx of inquiries coming through as people adjust.

Which… is where Freshservice comes in and saves the day. They offer everything you need, including multi-channel support, hardware and software records, contract management, and a top-rated mobile app for iOS and Android.

Furthermore, you can automate agent assignments and approval workflows to help streamline the process. Plus, you also get access to powerful features like:

Incident, knowledge, and SLA management
A user-friendly service catalog
Self-service portal and knowledgebase
Internal contextual collaboration
Problem, change, and release management
Project dashboards and analytical reports
Asset and inventory management
Lifecycle management
Asset auto-discovery
Interactive visualizations

And you can easily integrate any Freshworks software with Freshservice, along with tons of other third-party software integrations as well.

So, it’s an excellent choice if you already use or plan on using any of their other business tools.

Freshservice offers four different plans to choose from, including:

Blossom — $19/agent per month with essential features
Garden — $49/agent per month for growing teams
Estate — $79/agent per month for large teams
Forest — $99/agent per month for enterprises

These prices indicate annual pans paid in advance. They also offer monthly plans for a higher fee, except for the Forest plan.

Try Freshservice free for 21 days to see if it’s right for you!

#5 – Happyfox Review — The best for mobile and field support teams

Field agents have a unique set of challenges vs. support teams in the office or one set location. As such, you need a specialized tool that adapts to meet your needs.

Happyfox is a field service software designed to help you track agents, schedule work, and leverage real-time communications with a fully-featured mobile interface for seamless use on the move.

When agents are continuously traveling from one job to the next, they must have an easy way to share and track status information from one agent to the next.

And the good news is that Happyfox does just that, with a wide range of features like:

Ticket ques, statuses, and categories
Multi-channel ticketing capabilities
Ticket threads and attachments
Canned actions and responses
Searchable and customizable knowledgebase
Agent collision detection
Built-in asset management
Auto-assignments and smart rules
Simultaneous routing rules
SMS support

And dozens of other helpful features specifically for mobile teams.

Unlike the other options on this list, Happyfox doesn’t display their pricing online. But they offer standard per agent pricing and special packages for unlimited agents, making it suitable for field service teams of all sizes.

For agent-based pricing, they offer four plans with varying feature sets.

And each plan automatically includes SSL security, unlimited tickets, smart rules, knowledgebase capabilities, multilingual support, rich text formatting, and mobile applications.

However, their unlimited agent plans cap the number of tickets you can have in a year. So, you have to decide which option makes the most sense for your situation.

Schedule a live demo to see if Happyfox is right for you and your team today!

#6 – Cayzu Review — The most affordable help desk software

If you’re looking for a budget-friendly cloud-based help desk software, Cayzu is exceptionally affordable with paid plans starting at $4 per agent per month.

It’s also straightforward to use. With that said, it’s not the most feature-rich option, but you sacrifice some of the advanced features for an incredibly affordable price.

At just $4 per month, you get access to all the essential features you need, including:

Secure data protection
Automatic backups
A mobile application
Unlimited customer support
Ticketing system
Canned responses
Knowledgebase capabilities
Email ticket creation
Multi-language support
Open APIs and rest APIs
Support widget

Or you can upgrade to one of the higher plans for just a few dollars ($9 per agent per month) and get time tracking, assignment rules, basic automations, due dates, custom SSL certificates, and more.

And they also offer a freedom plan (up to 70 agents) if you’re interested in an easy way to get all of their features. It starts at $469 per month, but it’s probably overkill for most users.

Plus, over 20,000+ companies (including Verizon, Yahoo, and PBS) trust Cayzu with their help desk needs. So, you’re not alone and you’re in good company when you sign up.

Wrapping things up

Freshdesk, Hubspot, and Zoho Desk are my top recommendations for most users. They all offer numerous powerful features at affordable prices for businesses of all sizes.

However, they’re not perfect for everyone. Different situations call for different solutions.

So, don’t forget to use the criteria we talked about as you sort through choosing the best help desk software for you, your team, and your customers.

What’s your go-to help desk software?

The post The Best Help Desk Software (In-Depth Review) appeared first on Neil Patel.

The Best Conference Call Services (In-Depth Review)

Disclosure: This content is reader-supported, which means if you click on some of our links that we may earn a commission.

Just a decade ago, conference calls were challenging to set up and manage.

But today, I can click a few buttons and hop on a call with my entire team in a matter of seconds from the comfort of my home while my teammates stay safely in theirs.

However, the best conference call services go beyond basic phone calls.

They also offer a suite of collaboration and connectivity tools that make our current situation easier to navigate… together.

As the demand for remote connectivity rises, new services are popping up left and right.

Plus, there are already hundreds of options to choose from, making it feel impossible to choose the right conference call services for your team.

So to help make your life a bit easier, I looked at dozens of options and narrowed it down to my top eight recommendations.

The 8 top options for conference call services

GoToMeeting – Easiest conference call software
RingCentral – Best all-inclusive communication software
ClickMeeting – Best for hosting webinars
Grasshopper – Best virtual business phone system
Zoom – Best for video conference calls
Google Meet – Best for G Suite users
Vast Conference – Best for instant conference calling
Bluejeans Meetings – Best for video and sound quality

How to choose the best conference call service for you

The best conference call service for you and your team depends on various factors, including the size of your business, the level of security you need, and extra features you’re interested in.

It may help to start with a comprehensive list of everything you need. Then, you can use that as you go through the decision-making process.

And as you create your list, don’t forget to include the following considerations.

Number of participants

A conference call with ten people is vastly different than a conference call with hundreds of participants.

So, it’s essential to consider your team’s size and the number of participants you expect for any given meeting. Some service providers include low limits, while others allow thousands of participants depending on the plan you choose.

Security

Whether your meetings are confidential or not, security is an important feature to consider. Furthermore, it should be a priority rather than an afterthought.

So, make sure you consider:

The level of control over who can join the call
256-bit TLS encryption to make sure the line is secure
Security policies of the service provider

Furthermore, pay attention to how the provider stores your data and what they’re allowed to do with it if you use their services.

Mobile access

The world is more mobile and more distant than ever before. That said, mobile access is a crucial factor to consider when choosing a conference call service.

Giving employees and other meeting attendees the ability to join using their mobile device is convenient for everyone involved. And it may mean fewer cancellations plus more of the right participants joining in, even if they’re not at their desk.

So, ensure the service provider you choose includes mobile access.

Audio and video quality

A conference call with low audio and video can be incredibly frustrating. So, it’s crucial to choose a service provider with top-notch video and audio quality.

Of course, your internet connection plays a role. But you should carefully consider choosing a conference call service with HD video and audio capabilities for a smoother experience all around.

Additional features

If you need other features, like a virtual phone system or the ability to host webinars, you can bundle conference calling services with software specializing in something else.

You may also want to consider other features, like:

Call recording
Hold music
Auto-assistant
Internal communication
Call forwarding
Extension numbers
Custom greetings
Text messaging
Internet faxing

Hardware requirements

It’s also important to consider if you need to buy new equipment to handle a conference call service you’re considering. Some software integrates directly with the hardware you already have, making setup and everyday use a breeze.

However, others may require special equipment or something newer than what you currently use. And they may require professional installation, as well, depending on the number of users you need.

Some may work with your employees’ personal phones, mitigating the need for separate business phones.

The different types of conference call services

There are two main types of conference call services: assisted and reservationless.

The one you’re probably most familiar with is reservationless. It’s the most common and easiest to use because you can do everything on your own. All you have to do is create a bridge and then share the link with anyone you want to join.

It’s perfect for small, informal meetings and regular conference calls.

Assisted conference calls are much more formal. However, they require you to rely on someone else to organize. Assisted calls are most commonly used for large events with attendees all over the world.

The operator organizes the call and may even help invite the right people. Plus, they usually greet attendees when they join and help manage the flow of your meetings.

While an actual human being traditionally does this, today’s technology has helped automate the process.

As such, many conference call services offer an auto-assistant to greet callers, create custom joining experiences, gather caller contact information, store it, highlight action items, and more.

#1 – GoToMeeting Review — The easiest conference call software

If you’re looking for an easy-to-use online conference call software, go with GoToMeeting. It’s an excellent option for both small and large businesses alike. Plus, it’s incredibly simple to set up.

In fact, you can host or join meetings in one click from your phone, your laptop, a conference room, or any remote location.

Furthermore, you can easily host and join audio, video, and web meetings as well. So, whether you’re the administrator or an attendee, it’s a smooth and seamless process for everyone involved.

With GoToMeeting, you get a ton of influential conference calling features, including:

Screen sharing of your desktop, laptop, smartphone, or tablet
VoIP conference calling
Face-to-face HD video conferencing
Intuitive, yet powerful, mobile access
Meeting recording and transcription
Internal and external instant messaging
Smart meeting assistant
Toll-free conferencing
25 video feeds per meeting
Drawing tools

Plus, meeting participants can join using commuter mode, which helps them save mobile data and provides a distraction-free experience on their mobile devices.

Unlike most of the other options on this list, GoToMeeting doesn’t offer a free plan.

But their paid plans are incredibly affordable and accessible for businesses of all sizes. Those premium plans include:

Professional — $12 per organizer per month (up to 150 participants)
Business — $16 per organizer per month (up to 250 participants)
Enterprise — Custom pricing only (up to 3,000 participants)

Start your 14-day free trial to see if GoToMeeting is right for you!

#2 – RingCentral Review — The best all-inclusive communications tool

RingCentral is an all-in-one business communications platform encompassing instant messaging, video, and phone. So, it’s an excellent choice if you’re looking for a comprehensive communication tool.

Furthermore, it’s secure, easy to use, reliable, and accessible on any device.

Plus, you’re in excellent company with more than 400,000 customers worldwide.

And the best part? They offer an incredibly robust free plan for video conferencing. With it, you can meet with up to 100 participants (for up to 40 minutes) anytime from anywhere on any device.

The free plan also comes with incredible features, including:

Simultaneous screen sharing
Host controls and user management
Custom meeting IDs
HD voice and video
Whiteboarding and annotations
In-meeting chat capabilities
Unlimited file sharing
Meeting recordings

And their premium plans include advanced features like phone support, reporting, single sign on, and advanced team messaging tools.

RingCentral’s all-in-one office pricing is a bit expensive, with plans starting at $19.99 per user per month. However, those plans come with a ton of extra features, including everything you need to streamline business communications.

So, it’s an excellent choice if you need everything from SMS messaging and video conferencing to business phones and internet faxing for your entire team.

Alternatively, you can upgrade to a paid conferencing-only plan with RingCentral Meetings. Their Meetings plans include:

Essentials — $14.99 per organizer per month (for small businesses)
Advanced — $19.99 per organizer per month (for enterprise businesses)

#3 – ClickMeeting Review — The best conference call service for hosting webinars

Webinars are an excellent way to demo products, deliver online training, and host online events. They’re useful for everything from marketing and sales to education and large meetings.

So, if you’re looking for a tool that offers webinar capabilities and conference call features, ClickMeeting is your best option.

However, it’s a bit expensive, so I only recommend it if you plan to use it for both purposes.

The software comes with a ton of excellent features for both conference calls and webinars, including things like:

Paid and automated webinar sequences
Webinar timeline views
Independent subaccounts
Custom branding
Customized invitations
Registration pages
Waiting room with agenda
Whiteboarding and screen sharing
Chat translation
Advanced analytics

Furthermore, they offer an extensive knowledge base so you can learn everything to make the most of your new software without calling customer service.

However, keep in mind that all plans cap conference calls to 25 participants.

ClickMeeting offers a free 30-day trial, but there isn’t a free forever plan. There are three options to choose from, including:

Live — $25 per month
Automated — $40 per month
Enterprise — Custom pricing only

Start your 30-day free trial to take ClickMeeting for a test drive today!

#4 – Grasshopper Review — The best virtual business phone system

Grasshopper is a bit different than the other options on this list. Their software is a simple way to turn your personal phone into a business phone without worrying about buying new hardware.

So, if you’re a solopreneur or small team looking for an easy way to set up business phones for your team, Grasshopper is an excellent choice.

However, I don’t recommend going this route unless you actually need a virtual business phone system.

The software is incredibly easy to set up. All you have to do is select your phone number, choose a pricing plan, download the app, configure your settings, and you’re good to go.

It seriously takes just a few minutes and is incredibly easy to use. Aside from conference calling, you also get access to powerful features, including:

Toll-free, local, and vanity numbers
Custom greetings
Personal extensions
Call routing
Multi-call handling
Instant response text messages
SMS messaging
Internet faxing
Voicemail transcription
Auto-receptionist

While most of the app features are incredibly easy to use, conference calling is a bit less traditional than the other options listed here. Rather than participants joining your call, you have to call them, making it more aligned with old-school conference calls.

But you get unlimited conference calls with up to ten participants and the added business-phone functionality all for an extremely affordable price.

Grasshopper’s paid plans include:

Solo — $26 per month for one phone number and three extensions
Partner — $44 per month for three phone numbers and six extensions
Small Business — $80 per month for five numbers and unlimited extensions

#5 – Zoom Review — The best for free video conference calls

As more people shift to remote work, Zoom has become a household name.

It’s one of the most popular video conferencing tools on the market—and for a good reason.

Their robust free plan is more than enough for most users, making it an excellent and budget-friendly option for individuals and small businesses alike.

Their free plan includes unlimited meetings with up to 100 participants for up to 40 minutes and unlimited 1:1 meetings with a 24-hour time cap. Furthermore, you also get free access to features like:

Automatic calendar syncing
Robust security encryption
Role-based user access
Waiting rooms and password protection
HD audio and video
Up to 49 videos on the screen
Screen sharing and recording
Hand raising and in-meeting chat
Video and audio settings
Dedicated dial-in numbers

All for free. So, if you’re looking for a robust and intuitive conference call service without paying a penny, Zoom is definitely one of the best options on the market today.

However, if you outgrow the free plan and need something more advanced, you can upgrade to one of their paid plans, including:

Pro — $14.99/month or $149.90/license per year (up to nine licenses)
Business — $19.99/month or $199.90/license per year (minimum of 10 licenses)
Enterprise — $19.99/month or $199.90/license per year (minimum of 100 licenses)

#6 – Google Meet Review — The best conference call service for G Suite users

Google Meet is the upgraded version (and replacement) of Google Hangouts.

And if you’re an avid Google fan and already use G Suite, Google Meet is entirely free for you to use, making it an excellent and affordable option for businesses of all sizes.

Furthermore, you don’t have to do anything to sign up if you already have a G Suite or Gmail account. All you have to do is head to the Google Meet page to open up a meeting room.

Doing so automatically pulls in your contacts and information, too.

The best part is that all of Google’s tools and software integrate seamlessly. So, you can quickly and easily jump straight into a video chat from their Chat tool, your calendar, or even your mobile device.

Plus, the free Google Meet tool includes intuitive features like:

US and international dial-in numbers
Secure Google global infrastructure
Encrypted video conferencing
No third-party plugins or software required
Live captioning
Low-light mode
Built-in noise cancellation

On the Basic G Suite plan, you can host calls with up to 100 participants. If you need more than that, you’ll need to upgrade to the Business or Enterprise plan, which supports 150 and 250 participants, respectively.

If you already use G Suite, head over to Google Meet to get started!

#7 – Vast Conference — The best for assisted conference calls

If you’re interested in hosting formal, assisted conference calls, Vast Conference is the way to go. While they also offer reservationless meetings, their assisted conference call features are where they shine.

Operator-assisted calls require a bit more planning in advance. However, all you need to do is call their reservation desk to set up a time and date.

From there, you can choose the level of assistance you need for your event.

Operators can help with the planning of your event, show up live during your event for technical assistance and call quality, and deliver call recordings and participant lists afterward.

It’s like hiring the assistant you never knew you needed. On top of that, operator-assisted calls may also include:

Welcoming and identifying callers
Continuous assistance from staff
Up to 6,000 participants
A pre-conference room meeting
Triple-checked event transcriptions

These types of conference calls start at $0.16 per minute per line for a standard event and $0.19 per minute per line for premium events. Plus, there are no contracts or obligations as these are managed separately from their reservationless meeting services.

Vast’s reservationless plans are quite expensive compared to other options on this list. So, I don’t recommend it unless you’re using their operator-assisted services.

Choose your plan to start planning your operator-assisted event today!

#8 – Bluejeans Meetings Review — The best conference call service for sound quality

If you need meetings with crystal clear sound quality, Bluejeans Meetings is definitely the way to go. Every plan includes Dolby voice audio with built-in noise reduction, spatial audio, and dynamic leveling.

Plus, you also get HD video, so you never have to worry about low quality.

Besides excellent sound and video quality, you also get access to a ton of influential conference calling features, even on the lowest-tier, including:

Unlimited 1:1 and group meetings
No time caps whatsoever
5 hours of hosted meeting recordings
Meeting highlight reels and action item tagging
Outlook and Google calendar integrations
Video pinning and content slider
Desktop and application sharing
Remote desktop control
Whiteboarding and annotations
Advanced host controls
Safe driving mode

Bluejeans is one of the most feature-rich options on this list. However, that comes with a steeper price point and fewer meeting participants allowed on each plan.

Plus, keep in mind you get excellent crystal-clear audio and video quality, making it feel like everyone’s in the same room. It also helps reduce dialog delays and ensures everyone speaks at the same level.

So if that’s something you need, the extra price is well worth it. Their pricing plans include:

Standard — $9.99 per month billed annually (for up to 50 participants)
Pro — $13.99 per month billed annually (for up to 75 participants)
Enterprise — Custom pricing only (for up to 100 participants)

Try it free for seven days to see if Bluejeans is right for you!

Wrapping things up

GoToMeeting and RingCentral are my top recommendations for most people because they’re simple, affordable, and effortless to use.

Plus, they include a ton of intuitive and powerful features that make connecting with coworkers and colleagues more straightforward than ever.

But that doesn’t mean they’re the perfect choice for you.

So, don’t forget to consider the features and must-haves we talked about as you go about finding the best conference call services for you and your team.

Which conference call software do you prefer?

The post The Best Conference Call Services (In-Depth Review) appeared first on Neil Patel.

The Best Blogging Platforms (In-Depth Review)

Disclosure: This content is reader-supported, which means if you click on some of our links that we may earn a commission. Whether you want to become a blogger for a big-time news publication, share your independent thoughts online, make millions as a blogger, or something in between, it all starts with a blogging platform. And … Continue reading The Best Blogging Platforms (In-Depth Review)

The Best Blogging Platforms (In-Depth Review)

Disclosure: This content is reader-supported, which means if you click on some of our links that we may earn a commission.

Whether you want to become a blogger for a big-time news publication, share your independent thoughts online, make millions as a blogger, or something in between, it all starts with a blogging platform.

And choosing the right one sets precedence for everything else you do.

But with so many options to choose from, picking the best blogging platform can feel overwhelming.

So to help you out, I created a list of considerations to think about as you go through the process and reviewed the top five blogging platforms on the market today.

By the end of this article, you’ll be well on your way to starting your own blog.

The top 6 options for blogging platforms:

Wix – Best drag-and-drop blogging platform
WordPress.org – Best open-source blogging platform
Squarespace – Best for visual-based businesses
Medium – Best traditional blogging platform
Blogger – Best for personal blogs

How to choose the best blogging platform for you

Choosing a blogging platform is an important decision. And the one you choose depends on what you hope to do with your new blog and how much control you want to have.

So, let’s walk through what to consider as you make your final decision.

Do you want to make money?

This is probably the most crucial question to ask yourself.

If you want to start a personal blog to share your thoughts and experiences, you’re completely fine going with a free blogging platform, like Medium or Blogger.

However, if you want to make money blogging, you have to be careful. Most free platforms don’t let you monetize your blog. So, you need to choose a premium blogging platform that gives you more control, like Wix, WordPress.org, or Squarespace.

Do you already have a website?

If you want to add a blog to a website you already have, I highly recommend looking into your website platform’s blogging capabilities.

This is the easiest way to add a blog to a website that already exists.

Alternatively, you can look into migrating your website to Wix, WordPress.org, or Squarespace. However, I recommend staying with the platform you’re already using if you can.

Customization capabilities

Paid blogging platforms give you more control and design flexibility, allowing you to build a complete website and brand around your blog. And you can customize the look and feel of nearly every aspect of your website.

If you’re serious about blogging as a business, you need that level of control.

For complete flexibility and customization options, go with WordPress.org. And if you want something easier than WordPress, yet still flexible, Wix and Squarespace are great drag-and-drop options.

On the other hand, free blogging platforms don’t give you the ability to customize to that extent. You may be able to change the colors and pick between a few different layouts.

But, you can’t do much aside from that.

With that said, if you’re interested in personal or hobby blogging, you don’t need anything fancy. Free blogging platforms offer everything you need to quickly write content and share it online in just a few clicks.

The different types of blogging platforms

There are several different types of blogging platforms.

And the right one for you depends on what you want to do with your blog.

So, before we dive into my top recommendations, let’s walk through the different types and what they’re used for.

Free

Free blogging platforms come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

They’re perfect for anyone interested in personal or hobby blogging. And it’s the easiest way to write and publish content online quickly.

However, free blogging platforms usually don’t let you make money with your content. You can’t make money with ads, use affiliate marketing, or sell your own products.

Furthermore, they’re very limited in design flexibility and customization capabilities.

You may even be stuck with random ads placed on your blog. And migrating your content from a free platform to another isn’t an easy process. So, they’re not suitable for business bloggers or anyone interested in making money blogging at any point in the future.

Website builders

Website builders are all-inclusive, drag-and-drop design tools that let you quickly build an entire website without touching any code. They’re easy to set up, simple to use, and include a full suite of blogging tools.

However, they’re not free. But web hosting is included with your subscription, and some even offer a free custom domain name for the first year.

Furthermore, you get a significant level of flexibility and customization. But some areas may be limited depending on the blogging platform you choose.

This is a great place to start if you want to make money, but you’ve never built a website before. Just keep in mind that you sacrifice some flexibility in exchange for ease of use.

Open-source

Open-source blogging platforms are free to download and install. They’re completely customizable from the inside out, making them perfect for serious bloggers and business owners interested in building a full-fledged custom website.

However, there’s a steeper learning curve.

But once you get the hang of it, you’ll realize how flexible and customizable this type of blogging platform really is. You can create ecommerce stores, business websites, portfolios, service-based websites, interactive blogs, and more.

With that said, you have to buy web hosting before you can install an open-source software.

But most web hosts make this type of software easy to install with one-click installation.

#1 – Wix Review — The best drag-and-drop blogging platform

If you’re looking for the easiest premium blogging platform, you should go with Wix.

It’s an all-in-one website builder with more than 100 million users worldwide, making it one of the most popular options on the market.

Furthermore, it’s excellent for beginners interested in creating a full-fledged website with a blog included. And Wix’s intuitive drag-and-drop builder makes creating engaging blog content a breeze.

Plus, it includes everything you need to make money with your new blog.

With Wix, you get premium blogging features, including:

500 professional design templates
Industry-leading SEO tools
Rich-text editor
Embed HTML codes
Categories and hashtags
Advanced search capabilities
Writer and editor user roles
Easy image editing
Social media tools
Visitor analytics

Wix is arguably the easiest and fastest way to get your professional website and blog running.

You can also take advantage of their ADI (advanced design intelligence) tool, which creates everything you need to get started in a matter of minutes.

Simply answer a few questions, customize the design, add your website copy, update your images, and you’re ready to start blogging.

Wix offers a free plan, which is excellent for building your site and getting everything ready to go. However, I highly recommend upgrading to a paid plan so you can remove Wix ads and connect a custom domain name.

Paid plans start at $13/mo and increase depending on the features you need.

#2 – WordPress.org Review — The best open-source blogging platform

WordPress.org is an open-source blogging platform with complete design flexibility.

It also powers 38% of the entire internet, including the blog you’re reading right now, making it the most popular blogging platform on the market.

And the best part? It’s free to download and install.

However, you do need web hosting to be able to use it. This usually costs around $3 – $10 per month, so it’s the most affordable option on this list.

With that said, it’s not as easy as Wix. There are a few more steps to get started, but the extra work is well worth it if you’re looking for complete design control and flexibility.

With WordPress.org, you also get:

55,000+ plugins to extend the functionality of your site
Thousands of free and premium themes
The Gutenburg block editor
Advanced user roles and permissions
Powerful media management
A massive community of experts
Infinite design control

The best part is that you have 100% control over your website and blog. Plus, you aren’t tied down by rules and regulations. You can decide what to display, what you don’t reveal, and how you make money.

There are countless ways to get started with WordPress.org. But I highly recommend starting with Bluehost.

It’s the easiest way to get everything you need.

They also include a free domain name for the first year. So, all you have to do is pick a hosting plan, snag your free domain, and use their one-click WordPress installation feature.

#3 – Squarespace Review — The best blogging platform for visual-based businesses

Squarespace is an all-in-one website builder, like Wix. However, it’s famous for aesthetically pleasing templates, making it perfect for visual-based businesses like photographers, designers, and artists.

It’s also straightforward to use. Plus, it includes web hosting services and a free domain for the first year (if you choose an annual premium plan).

It’s perfect for bloggers who want an easy, aesthetic way to share images, videos, and portfolio pieces, along with long-form and short-form blog posts.

And with Squarespace, you create blog posts the same way you create pages.

So, once you learn how the drag-and-drop editor works, you know how to use the entire platform. You also get access to powerful blogging features, including:

Free blogging templates to help you get started
Five unique post layouts for your home and archive pages
Categories, tags, and featured posts
Built-in post scheduler
Contributor permissions
In-depth analytics
SEO and social media tools
Email marketing (additional fees)
Expert customer service
Mobile app

Squarespace isn’t as customizable as Wix or WordPress.org, but it’s perfect for creative bloggers and visual-based businesses looking for something captivating and easy to use.

Paid plans start at $12 per month and increase depending on the features you need.

#4 – Medium Review — The best traditional blogging platform

Medium is a platform that helps readers and writers find new ideas, knowledge, and perspectives. It’s unique because there are no ads present on the platform.

To date, they have over 120 million readers, making this an excellent way to get your content in front of more people. It’s also great if you want to share personal stories and perspectives to get your thoughts out to the world.

However, it’s not a great platform for making money as a blogger. Medium does have a partner program that rewards writers for the amount of time paying members spend reading their content.

But you’ll have a hard time making a decent amount of money on Medium alone.

And you can’t include your own call-to-actions in partner posts. So, you have to choose between making money and growing your email list.

It’s not a flawed model. However, I highly recommend treating Medium as an extension of your Wix, Squarespace, or WordPress.org blog.

To get started, you can create a profile or a publication. Publications look more aesthetically pleasing, and you get more organization and display features. With publications, you can also send newsletters to your followers.

However, it doesn’t really matter which one you choose.

Note: if you use Medium as an extension of your blog, make sure you use their import feature to add existing blog posts. This way, you can add content from your blog to Medium without creating duplicate content for SEO purposes.

#5 – Blogger Review – The best for personal blogs

Blogger is one of the original blogging platforms. It’s been around since 1999.

It’s completely free to use with no paid plans, upsells, or anything like that. And it’s incredibly easy to use. This makes it perfect for personal or hobby bloggers looking to share their thoughts and ideas with the world.

They have several free templates to choose from that govern how your blog looks. However, they’re not very customizable.

You can change the colors and the layout of a few things, but that’s about it.

The platform focuses solely on blogging, so that’s where the majority of their features lie. With Blogger, you get free access to essential features, including:

A free SSL certificate and free domain mapping
Google integrations
Image storage with Google Photos
Integrated ad campaigns
Simple text editor

And while those features are great, the platform is seriously lacking in other departments, including customization, custom post types, and overall design.

Essentially, it’s an old-school blogging platform. It works well for simple blogging, but you can’t create a full-fledged website, so I don’t recommend it if you want to build a brand and make money blogging.

However, since Google’s acquisition in 2003, you can display Google Ads on your blog to make a little extra money on the side.

But, it’s not a sustainable or long-term way to make a full-time income with your blog.

Summary

The best blogging platform for you depends on where you want to take your blog. For personal and hobby bloggers, a free platform like Blogger or Medium is the perfect place to start.

They’re easy to set up, incredibly simple, and the fastest way to start publishing online. Plus, you don’t have to pay anything to share your thoughts and ideas.

However, if you want to make money and turn your blog into a business, free platforms won’t cut it. The easiest premium blogging platforms are Wix and Squarespace, making them perfect for beginners.

However, if you want the ultimate level of control, go with WordPress.org hosted by Bluehost.

The post The Best Blogging Platforms (In-Depth Review) appeared first on Neil Patel.

The Best VoIP Phone Services (In-Depth Review)

Disclosure: This content is reader-supported, which means if you click on some of our links that we may earn a commission.

The best VoIP phone services create exceptional customer experiences. And exceptional customer experiences work wonders for your bottom line.

Imagine this: a potential customer calls the sales number listed on your website. Six states away, a personal cell phone rings. Your sales person picks it up, answers a few questions, and closes the sale.

Within a matter of seconds, that potential customer turns into a paying customer rather than being transferred from employee to employee, wasting their time and testing their patience.

With the right VoIP service, you can streamline and automate the customer journey, resulting in more money for less work. Furthermore, these services are easy to set up, easy to use, and most of the leg work happens behind the scenes.

But choosing the right service feels like a daunting task. With countless options out there, how do you decide which one’s right for you?

If you’re not sure how to answer that question, you’re in the right place. In this article, I cover how to choose the right service for your needs, the different types of VoIP services, and my top recommendations.

Let’s dive in!

The top 6 options for VoIP phone service:

Ooma – best for small businesses
Nextiva – best for remote teams
RingCentral – best for fast-growth
Grasshopper – best for mobile teams
Verizon – best for large businesses
8×8 – most affordable VoIP service

How to choose the best VoIP phone services for you

With countless VoIP service providers to choose from, finding the perfect solution for your business isn’t always easy. To make things easier, I want to share the criteria I considered when making this list and some must-haves regardless of the company you choose.

You can use these to help narrow things down as you go through the process.

Deployment options

Some VoIP phone services work with the hardware you already have, while others require proper installation. In some cases, you may need to buy an adapter or something else to enable the system.

But others are as simple as a mobile app you download on your phone.

So, carefully consider the amount of time and the level of support you have when making a decision. The simpler the system, the easier it is, and the less support you need to get things up and running.

The size of your business

Most VoIP phone service providers charge per user per month.

And while some offer discounts if you have a large team, those prices can quickly add up and get expensive.

So it’s essential to understand how many users you have and how to get the best deal with the features you need at a reasonable price point.

Phone call capabilities

It’s important to consider the phone call capabilities you need because each provider offers different capabilities at different price points.

Do you need automatic call rejection, call forwarding, or caller ID? What about voicemail, voicemail transcription, and hold music?

You may also want to consider other capabilities like:

Call forwarding and routing
Automatic attendants
Phone number types
Extensions
Blocking and auto rejections
Voicemail to text
Call recording
Call history
Instant responding
Custom greetings

Make a list of everything you need so you can choose the right provider and the right plan.

Other forms of communication

Most VoIP providers also offer other forms of communication like SMS messaging, document sharing, online faxing, and video conferencing.

However, they may not all be available on basic plans.

With that said, you may not need all of them, either. So, carefully consider the additional forms of communication you need your team to have.

Reliability

Your internet, VoIP provider’s uptime, and power source affect the quality of your phone calls.

With reliable, high-speed internet, you probably won’t have any issues. But what happens if the power goes out?

If you use your mobile device, you’re probably fine.

But desk phones aren’t. However, some come with battery backups that may last up to a few hours. So, make sure this is an option if you rent or buy hardware from your VoIP service provider.

Furthermore, some VoIP providers offer network monitoring that lets them switch to wireless backups if wired data links fail. And you should also expect nothing less than 99.99% uptime, as well.

The different types of VoIP phone service

Device-based

For this type of service, you need to buy an adapter from the service provider and connect it to an existing phone (or a phone they provide).

Software-based

These services are desktop programs. Skype and Google Talk are two good examples. You have to install the program and connect to the internet to use them.

However, most providers offer cloud-hosted and software-based systems.

Cloud-hosted

Cloud-hosted VoIP, or “virtual private-branch-exchange” (PBX), services are available as well. The only hardware you need is a networking router or switch and the provider handles the rest

This includes mobile VoIP services, too. These mobile apps run on Android and Apple devices through cellular internet or a local Wi-Fi network.

All of the options on this list are a combination of cloud-hosted and software-based, with most offering both types of systems.

#1 – Ooma Review — The best VoIP phone service for small businesses

If you’re a small business looking for a reliable, no-contract VoIP phone service, Ooma is a great choice. They provide everything you need (i.e. hardware, software, and know-how) so you can start using their services in as little as 15 minutes.

Everything is ready to go straight out of the box. And you can keep your existing phone number or swap it out for a new one — for free.

Ooma offers 35 powerful features, including:

A mobile app
Virtual receptionist
SMS messaging
Call blocking
Voicemail and caller ID
Unlimited calls in North America
One complimentary toll-free number
One direct-dial number per user

Furthermore, Ooma has an excellent customer service team ready to help you get up and running, navigate snags, and create a seamless experience for your customers.

However, the service is missing more advanced features. But it’s incredibly affordable and accessible for small businesses with a tight budget.

Plus, you don’t have to worry about complicated contracts. Ooma’s pricing is simple and straightforward with two business plans, including:

Ooma Office — $19.95 per user per month
Ooma Office Pro — $24.95 per user per month

Ooma Office is suitable for most users. But you can upgrade to the Pro plan if you need a desktop application, call recording, or higher usage limits.

#2 – Nextiva Review — The best VoIP phone service for remote teams

Remote teams face unique challenges. And they need a VoIP provider equipped with the tools and features required to conquer those challenges.

Nextiva is “made for business owners, not IT wizards” and built with remote teams of all sizes in mind. They offer solutions for small businesses, midsize businesses, and large enterprise companies alike.

Plus, their in-house customer service team is ready to help every step of the way.

Nextiva includes a wide variety of VoIP features, including:

Android and iOS applications
Unlimited text messaging
Customizable hold music
Multi-level auto attendant
Unlimited calls in the US and Canada
Free local OR toll-free number
Video and audio meetings
Internet faxing

Furthermore, you can make and receive business phone calls straight from your desktop, laptop, or mobile device. This service completely replaces an in-office phone system, empowering your remote team to stay connected.

Alternatively, you can use it in conjunction with your current phone system. So, it’s also a great fit for call centers and non-remote teams, as well.

Nextiva offers simple and affordable pricing. Their plans include:

Essential — $19.95 per user per month
Professional — $20.95 per user per month
Enterprise — $27.95 per line per month

Nextiva boasts an “ultra-high uptime of 99.999%,” with around-the-clock network monitoring and zero outages in 2019. With relatively reliable service, various essential features, and reasonable prices, their service is among the best.

#3 – RingCentral Review — The best VoIP phone service for fast-growth businesses

RingCentral is an excellent option for fast-growth businesses. They’re the world’s #1 business communications platform with plans and features for business communications as well as customer support.

Plus, RingCentral offers discounts depending on the size of your team. So, as your team grows (regardless of how fast), your phone service affordably scales to match your needs.

They promise 99.99% uptime, and they maintain countless global data centers. This means you get excellent coverage and phone quality wherever you are on the globe.

Furthermore, installation and setup are a breeze, thanks to RingCentral’s step-by-step installation and intuitive admin panel.

You can set up new users from the admin panel, monitor service quality, and view your analytics all in one centralized place. Plus, you can even access it on the go.

Their services include features like:

Unlimited calls in the US and Canada
Voicemail to text
Team messaging
Document sharing
Unlimited text messaging
Unlimited faxing and conferencing
Call recording
Developer platform
Custom integrations

RingCentral’s most affordable plan starts at $19.99 per user per month, making them a top contender for affordability.

Their paid plans include:

Essentials — $19.99 per user per month
Standard — $24.99 per user per month
Premium — $34.99 per user per month
Ultimate — $49.99 per user per month

While their basic plans are suitable for smaller teams, their Premium and Ultimate plans allow teams to create custom-fit solutions, regardless of how fast they grow.

#4 – Grasshopper Review — The best VoIP phone service for mobile teams

If your team works in the field, works from home, or works from anywhere in the world, Grasshopper is a smart choice.

It’s a mobile (or desktop) app that adds a business line and an integrated phone system to your employee’s phones. So, they don’t need to carry around two phones or be present in the office to message customers and accept business calls.

Plus, you can access and manage your entire phone system with mobile and desktop apps anywhere with an internet connection.

The best part is that Grasshopper integrates seamlessly with the phones you already have.

There’s no need to buy any fancy equipment or go through the hassle of messy and time-consuming installations. It’s as easy as picking a number and a plan, downloading the app, and configuring your settings.

Plus, with Grasshopper, you get access to intuitive, yet powerful, features like:

Business text messaging
Call forwarding
Voicemail transcription
Phone extensions
Online faxing
Custom greetings
Instant responses
Ruby Receptionist

And while Grasshopper doesn’t automatically enable VoIP calling, you can quickly turn it on for free using the mobile app if you have poor cell service or prefer internet calling instead.

Their paid plans include:

Solo — $26/mo for one number and three extensions
Partner — $44/mo for three numbers and six extensions
Small Business — $80/mo for five numbers and unlimited extensions

Extensions can forward to any number you want. So, you can operate with three employees using Grasshopper’s solo plan.

This is a breath of fresh air instead of per-user pricing with the other services on this list.

#5 – Verizon Review — The best VoIP phone service for large businesses

Known for the stability of its network, Verizon provides VoIP business features for medium and large-scale businesses. However, it’s overkill for most small companies and very expensive compared to other options on this list.

Furthermore, it’s most suitable for businesses that need to be available for customer calls, route calls to the right teams/people, or respond quickly to customer requests.

Verizon’s VoIP phone service includes 45 features, including:

Customized hold announcements/music
A virtual receptionist
Complete call history
Administration web portal
Make and receive calls on your phone
Visual voicemail features
Call transfers
Do not disturb mode
Inbound caller ID
Selective call rejection
Instant messaging

You can purchase or rent desk phones through Verizon or purchase a converter to continue using your current equipment.

Furthermore, you get free access to mobile and desktop apps to access or manage your phone system from anywhere in the world. However, Verizon’s services aren’t available everywhere, so you may not be able to use their services.

Verizon business phone plans start at $35 per user per month plus any additional fees, taxes, or equipment charges. However, their pricing is confusing when you start reading the fine print. And you have to commit to a two-year contract, as well.

So, keep that in mind as you’re making your final decisions.

#6 – 8×8 Review — The most affordable VoIP phone service

If you’re looking for a basic, affordable VoIP phone service, 8×8 is a smart choice.

Their 8×8 Express Business Phone System plan starts at $12 per user per month (with a free trial). This low pricing makes it the most affordable option on this list.

However, with that low price point comes limited features. The Express plan includes:

Unlimited calling in the US and Canada
Global and direct toll-free numbers
Basic auto attendant
Ring groups
Call routing
Business SMS

And to access their more advanced features, you have to pay between $25 – $45 per user per month. Which… is more expensive than some of the other options listed here.

So I don’t recommend it unless you go with the Express Plan.

Summary

My #1 recommendation for most small businesses is Ooma. It’s affordable, reliable, and easy to set up in about 15 minutes. However, if you’re looking for a large-scale solution, Verizon is your best bet.

Furthermore, Nextiva is perfect for remote teams, and Grasshopper is a simple, yet powerful, mobile app for small teams who are frequently out of the office.

If you’re on a tight budget, 8×8 is the cheapest VoIP phone service, starting at $12 per user per month. However, it’s features are limited.

Regardless of the route you go, don’t forget to consider your requirements, budget, and the criteria we talked about as you go through the process of choosing the best VoIP phone service for your business.

Have you used a VoIP service provider in the past? What was your experience like?

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The Best CRM Software (In-Depth Review)

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