Why Agencies Choose Cloudways: Real Solutions for Real Problems

If you're running a digital agency, you know the hosting headaches all too well. I run a B2B marketing agency named Quadigy and I know what I am talking about. A client's site crashes during their biggest campaign. You're stuck on hold with support at 11 PM. You need to spin up a staging environment now, but your current host makes it feel like defusing a bomb.

After talking to dozens of agency owners, one name keeps coming up: Cloudways. Not because it's perfect, but because it solves the specific problems agencies actually face. This does make me happy simply because it validates my trust in Cloudways  - I have been using it since 2018! Here's what makes it different.

The Real Problem: Most Hosts Weren't Built for Agencies

Traditional shared hosting maxes out at 5-10 sites. VPS providers dump technical complexity on you. Managed WordPress hosts charge per site, making your hosting bill grow faster than your profit margins.

Cloudways takes a different approach: managed cloud hosting that gives you enterprise-level infrastructure without the enterprise-level complexity or per-site pricing traps.

What This Actually Means for Your Agency

Host Every Client on One Server (Without the Nightmare)

Unlike hosts that charge per website or throttle performance after a certain number of sites, Cloudways lets you host unlimited websites on a single cloud server. Your $50/month server can handle 20 small business sites or 5 high-traffic e-commerce stores—whatever configuration makes sense for your client mix.

The practical benefit: One login, one dashboard, all your clients. No more juggling separate cPanel accounts or explaining to clients why they need to pay hosting directly to three different providers.

Turn Hosting Into Revenue (If You Want To)

Many agencies treat hosting as a break-even service. With Cloudways' reseller model, it becomes a profit center. Buy a $100/month server, allocate resources to clients based on their needs, and bill them $30-50 each for managed hosting. The math works in your favor.

You're not reselling cheap shared hosting—you're providing genuine cloud infrastructure from DigitalOcean, AWS, or Google Cloud, which justifies premium pricing to clients.

Performance That Actually Matters

When a client's site loads in 1.2 seconds instead of 4.5 seconds, they notice. More importantly, their customers notice. Cloudways runs on genuine cloud infrastructure (not "cloud-inspired" shared hosting), with server-level caching that actually works.

The platform includes Varnish, Redis, and Memcached caching, plus one-click CDN integration. Translation: Your client's WordPress site in Dallas loads just as fast for a visitor in Singapore. Their bounce rate drops. Their SEO improves. They renew their contract with you.

Collaboration Without Chaos

Give your developers SSH and SFTP access. Let your designers access staging environments. Keep your junior account manager away from production servers. Cloudways' team management lets you control who sees what, so your intern can't accidentally delete a client's database.

The staging environment deserves special mention. Clone any site with one click, test changes in isolation, then push to production when ready. No more "let's update plugins on the live site and hope nothing breaks."

Security You Can Actually Explain to Clients

When a client asks "Is our site secure?", you can point to specifics: free SSL certificates (automatically installed and renewed), dedicated firewalls, automated daily backups, two-factor authentication, and regular security patching you don't have to manage.

If something does go wrong, you can restore from backup in minutes, not hours. Every agency has that "oh no" moment—Cloudways makes sure it stays a moment, not a disaster.

Support When You Actually Need It

The 24/7 live chat works. Real humans, not chatbots reading from scripts. They understand terms like "edge caching" and "database optimization" without you having to explain what WordPress is.

For complex migrations or performance optimization, premium support is available. It's an upsell, but one that makes sense when you're launching a high-stakes client project.

The Agency Partner Program: Growth Incentives That Actually Help

Beyond the platform itself, Cloudways runs an Agency Partner Program with tangible benefits:

• Onboarding credits to reduce your initial investment as you migrate clients
• Growth bonuses tied to your revenue milestones, not just referrals
• Co-marketing opportunities including case studies and guest posts that build your agency's credibility

It's not revolutionary, but it's more substantial than most "partner programs" that amount to a 10% affiliate commission.

What Cloudways Doesn't Do (And Why That's Okay)

It's not the cheapest option. Entry servers start around $14/month (DigitalOcean), scaling up based on resources. If you're hosting a single personal blog, shared hosting at $5/month makes more sense.

It's not fully hands-off. While Cloudways manages the infrastructure, you're still responsible for site-level tasks like plugin updates and content management. If you want completely white-glove managed WordPress hosting, you're looking at platforms like WP Engine—at 3-4x the price.

It requires some technical comfort. The interface is clean and well-designed, but you should understand concepts like server resources, caching, and DNS. If you're still unsure what FTP means, there's a learning curve.

Is Cloudways Right for Your Agency?

You're a good fit if:

• You manage 10+ client websites and want to consolidate hosting
• You're comfortable with cloud infrastructure but don't want to manage it yourself
• You want to turn hosting from an expense into a revenue stream
• Performance and scalability matter to your client retention
• You need team collaboration features without enterprise complexity

Look elsewhere if:

• You only manage 1-3 sites (shared hosting is cheaper)
• You need fully managed WordPress maintenance (updates, backups, etc.)
• Your clients require specialized hosting (high-security government sites, massive video platforms)
• You prefer traditional ticket-based support over live chat

Try It Without Commitment

Cloudways offers a 3-day free trial, no credit card required. Spin up a server, migrate a low-stakes client site, test the performance and interface. The trial is genuinely free—they won't start charging unless you actively upgrade. Plus, they are currently running end-of-the-year discounts and offers, which can be interesting! 

For agencies tired of hosting limitations, technical complexity, or unreliable support, Cloudways offers a middle ground: powerful cloud infrastructure made manageable. It won't solve every problem, but it solves the ones that waste your time and limit your growth.

Ready to see if it fits your agency? Start your free trial and test it with a real client project.

---

Have experience with Cloudways or other agency hosting solutions? Share what's working (or not working) for your team in the comments.

p.s. I have had a worry-free engagement with Cloudways for all of my clients. As a result, I have decided to become their affiliate partner as well! The points that I have made above are from experience. Go ahead - give the trial a shot and see if it amazes you! Cheers!!

Stop Losing Customers: Why JivoChat is the Best AI Live Chat for Small Businesses in 2026

When I implemented JivoChat for a research and analytics firm's presales team last year, their lead qualification rate jumped noticeably within the first month. More importantly, the behavioral insights from chat interactions helped the team understand exactly where prospects were getting stuck in the buying process—something their contact forms never revealed.

That deployment taught me something crucial: small businesses aren't just losing customers due to slow response times. They're losing them because they're completely blind to why prospects leave without converting.

The Hidden Problem: You Don't Know Why Customers Leave

Most small business owners focus on traffic and conversion rates. They see 1,000 visitors and 20 conversions and think "2% conversion rate—that's normal." But what about the other 980 people?

Here's what's likely happening:

Silent objections: Someone has a simple question about your service. They don't want to fill out a contact form and wait 24 hours. They leave.

Comparison paralysis: A prospect is evaluating you against competitors. Everyone looks similar on paper. The one with instant support feels more trustworthy.

Timing mismatches: Serious buyers visit your site at 9 PM or on weekends. Your business hours are 9-5 weekdays. You never connect.

Invisible friction: Cart abandonment, pricing page bounces, feature confusion—all symptoms of unanswered questions at critical moments.

According to *research from Forrester, 44% of online consumers say having questions answered by a live person during an online purchase is one of the most important features a website can offer. Without it, you're simply invisible when it matters most. 

*(Reference: https://www.forrester.com/report/Making-Proactive-Chat-Work/RES57054)

Why I Recommend JivoChat for Small Businesses (After Testing Multiple Solutions)

I've deployed different chat solutions for clients over the past few years—including Intercom, Tidio, and Tawk.to. For small businesses specifically, JivoChat consistently delivers the best balance of capability, cost, and usability. Here's what makes it stand out.

1. Omnichannel Communication Actually Reduces Missed Opportunities

Most businesses today receive customer inquiries across multiple platforms—Website, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Email. Managing each separately means messages slip through the cracks.

JivoChat consolidates everything into one inbox:

• Website chat widget
• Facebook Messenger
• Instagram DMs
• WhatsApp Business
• Telegram
• Apple Business Chat
• Email
• Phone calls (with telephony add-on)

Real impact from my research firm client: Their presales team was previously juggling three different platforms for incoming queries. Messages sent via LinkedIn or Facebook often sat unanswered for days simply because team members didn't check those apps regularly. After consolidating through JivoChat, response consistency improved dramatically—every inquiry landed in one place where the team was already working.

Why this matters: Response speed directly correlates with conversion. According to a Harvard Business Review study, companies that respond to leads within an hour are 7 times more likely to qualify the lead than those that respond even an hour later. Every missed message is likely a lost customer.

Versus alternatives:

• Intercom: Offers similar omnichannel features but starts at $74/user/month
• Tidio: More affordable at $29/month but lacks native Instagram and WhatsApp Business integration
• Tawk.to: Free but requires third-party integrations for social channels, creating the same fragmentation problem

For small businesses on tight budgets managing multiple communication channels, JivoChat's $19/month starting price with full integration is hard to beat.

2. AI Responses Handle Routine Questions 24/7

Small businesses can't staff support around the clock. But customers browse, compare, and make buying decisions at all hours. The mismatch creates a massive opportunity gap.

JivoChat's AI can be configured to handle common questions automatically—not with perfect human-like intelligence, but well enough to keep prospects engaged until you're available.

What it handles well:

• Shipping and return policies
• Business hours and location information
• Basic product/service specifications
• Pricing tier explanations
• Frequently asked questions you define

What it doesn't handle well:

• Complex, nuanced questions requiring judgment
• Highly technical inquiries
• Negotiations or custom pricing discussions

The AI knows its limits and escalates appropriately, which is actually better than confidently giving wrong answers.

According to Gartner research*, chatbots can handle up to 70% of customer interactions for routine queries. In my experience with JivoChat, the actual number is closer to 40-50% for small businesses with diverse service offerings, but even that represents significant coverage during off-hours.

*(Reference: https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2025-03-05-gartner-predicts-agentic-ai-will-autonomously-resolve-80-percent-of-common-customer-service-issues-without-human-intervention-by-20290)

Versus alternatives:

• Drift: Offers more sophisticated conversational AI but costs $2,500+/month for those features
• Intercom's Fin AI: More advanced natural language understanding, but charges $0.99 per resolution (can add up quickly)
• JivoChat: Basic but functional AI included in $19/month plan with unlimited responses

3. Lead Qualification Saves Time and Improves Conversion Focus

This was the biggest win for my research and analytics firm client. Their presales team was spending significant time on initial discovery calls with prospects, only to find mismatches in budget, timeline, or needs.

JivoChat's AI can pre-qualify leads before they reach your sales team by asking structured questions:

• Company size or individual need
• Budget range
• Timeline for implementation
• Specific requirements
• Decision-making authority

The result: The presales team stopped wasting time on low-fit prospects and could focus energy on qualified leads who were more likely to convert. Their feedback indicated that the quality of leads reaching them improved noticeably, and they could prepare more effectively for conversations because the chat transcript provided context.

You configure the qualification flow yourself based on what matters for your business. For a service business, that might be budget and timeline. For e-commerce, it might be product category interest and purchase urgency.

Why this matters: Not all website visitors are equal. According to research from MarketingSherpa, 61% of B2B marketers send all leads directly to sales, but only 27% of those leads are qualified. Better upfront qualification means your team focuses on the prospects most likely to close.

4. Behavioral Insights You Can't Get from Forms

This surprised me most with my research firm client. Beyond just answering questions, JivoChat provided visibility into prospect behavior patterns:

• Which pages generate the most inquiries (revealing what content creates confusion or interest)
• Common objection patterns (what questions keep coming up)
• Drop-off points (where prospects disengage)
• Peak inquiry times (when your audience is most active)

The presales team used these insights to:

• Refine their service descriptions on high-confusion pages
• Proactively address common objections in their marketing content
• Adjust their availability schedule to match peak inquiry times
• Better understand which services generated the most interest

Traditional contact forms tell you who converted. Live chat analytics show you why others didn't.

5. Proactive Engagement at Critical Decision Points

JivoChat can automatically trigger chat prompts based on user behavior:

• Time spent on specific pages
• Scroll depth
• Exit intent
• Return visitor patterns
• Cart or form abandonment

The key is restraint. Aggressive pop-ups that trigger after 5 seconds feel pushy and hurt conversion. Strategic triggers at genuine decision points can help:

• Pricing page visitor lingering for 60+ seconds: "Questions about which package fits your needs?"
• Return visitor viewing the same service page three times: "Welcome back! Can I help you compare options?"
• Cart with items sitting idle: "Need help with anything before checkout?"

According to research from Invesp, businesses that use proactive chat invitations see 105% higher conversion rates compared to reactive chat alone. The timing and tone matter enormously—it should feel helpful, not intrusive.

6. Telephony Integration for Service Businesses

If you upgrade to JivoChat's telephony plan, you can make and receive calls directly through the platform. This might seem basic, but it's genuinely valuable for service businesses where phone calls remain important.

Benefits:

• All customer communications (chat, email, calls) in one history
• Call recording for training and quality assurance
• Mobile app lets team members call through JivoChat from anywhere
• No separate phone system to manage

For consultative businesses or services requiring detailed discussions, having phone integration alongside chat creates a seamless communication experience.

What JivoChat Doesn't Do Well (The Honest Assessment)

No tool is perfect. Here's where JivoChat falls short:

Limited AI Sophistication

Despite "AI-powered" marketing, JivoChat's intelligence is relatively basic. It's smart automation and pattern matching, not advanced natural language understanding. You'll need to manually configure most responses and train it on your specific FAQs.

If you need truly sophisticated AI that can handle complex, contextual conversations by pulling from your knowledge base dynamically, tools like Intercom's Fin AI or Ada are more capable—at significantly higher prices.

Basic Analytics

JivoChat shows:

• Conversation volume
• Response times
• Page-level chat activity
• Basic visitor information

What it doesn't provide:

• Detailed conversion attribution (which chats led to sales)
• Sentiment analysis
• Funnel drop-off analysis
• Advanced ROI tracking

For deeper analytics, you'll need to integrate with Google Analytics or use more expensive platforms like Drift that build detailed conversion funnels.

Mobile App Is Functional, Not Excellent

The mobile app works—you can respond to chats, view visitor information, and handle basic tasks. But the interface feels cramped compared to desktop, and managing multiple simultaneous conversations from your phone is awkward.

It's fine for occasional responses or monitoring during off-hours. It's not ideal if you're trying to run your entire support operation from mobile devices.

Built-in CRM Is Very Basic

JivoChat includes a CRM, but calling it that is generous. It's really organized contact cards with conversation history. You can add notes, tag contacts, and track basic deal stages.

What's missing: Pipeline management, custom fields, email sequences, sophisticated reporting, and most features you'd expect from real CRM software like HubSpot, Pipedrive, or Salesforce.

The good news: JivoChat integrates with actual CRM platforms. Use their API or native integrations to connect with proper CRM tools if you need robust sales pipeline management.

Pricing That Makes Sense for Small Businesses

Free Plan:

• Up to 5 team members
• Basic chat widget
• Mobile apps
• 5 communication channels

Good for testing, limited for ongoing business use.

Professional Plan ($19/agent/month):

• Unlimited team members
• All channels (WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, etc.)
• Proactive chat triggers
• AI automated responses
• Advanced visitor monitoring
• Removes JivoChat branding

This is the realistic starting point for most small businesses.

Enterprise Plan ($38/agent/month):

• Everything in Professional
• Advanced analytics and reports
• Multiple projects management
• SLA management
• Dedicated account manager
• Priority support

Telephony Add-on: Separate pricing based on country and expected call volume—check their website for specific rates.

The realistic cost for a small business:

• Solo operation or 2-person team: $19-38/month
• 3-5 person team: $57-190/month

Compare this to alternatives:

• Intercom: Starts at $74/user/month
• Drift: Starts at $2,500/month for advanced features
• LiveChat: Starts at $20/user/month (similar pricing, fewer features)

Who Should Use JivoChat

Good Fit If:

✅ You manage customer inquiries across multiple platforms (website, social media, messaging apps)
✅ You're getting meaningful website traffic (500+ visitors/week) but low conversion rates
✅ You need 24/7 basic support coverage without hiring night staff
✅ Your budget is $50-200/month for chat solutions
✅ You want to qualify leads before they reach your sales team
✅ You run a service business where phone integration matters

Look Elsewhere If:

❌ You have very low website traffic (under 200 visitors/week)—not enough volume to justify live chat
❌ You only need basic website chat with no omnichannel requirements (Tidio or Tawk.to are simpler/cheaper)
❌ You need enterprise-grade AI with advanced natural language processing (use Intercom Fin or Ada)
❌ You're a high-volume e-commerce operation with 100+ daily chats (Gorgias is purpose-built for e-commerce scale)
❌ You already have comprehensive CRM with built-in chat (use your existing system's native features)

My Practical Recommendation

Based on my experience implementing JivoChat for clients and evaluating alternatives, here's what I suggest:

Step 1: Start with the free plan and install the chat widget on 3-4 strategic pages:

• Homepage
• Main product/service page
• Pricing page
• High-traffic blog posts or resources

Step 2: Run it for 1-2 weeks and track:

• How many conversations do you receive?
• What questions do people ask most frequently?
• How many conversations lead to qualified leads or sales?

Step 3: Evaluate the data:

• If you're getting 10+ quality conversations weekly with at least 2-3 conversions, upgrade to Professional
• If you're getting 5-10 conversations with 1-2 conversions, it's borderline—test another week
• If you're getting under 5 conversations weekly, you may need to drive more traffic before live chat provides meaningful ROI

Step 4: Configure intelligently:

• Set up AI responses for your 10-15 most common questions
• Create qualification flows if you're B2B or service-based
• Set proactive triggers carefully (60-90 seconds, not 10 seconds)
• Integrate with your CRM if you use one

Would you like to try it? Start JivoChat's free trial and see if it works for you. 

My research firm client deployed JivoChat primarily for lead qualification by their presales team. Here's what happened:

Before JivoChat:

• Presales team spent considerable time on initial discovery calls with all inbound leads
• Many conversations revealed poor fit (wrong budget, timeline, or requirements)
• Team had limited visibility into common prospect concerns or objections
• Inquiries from LinkedIn and Facebook were often missed or delayed

After JivoChat:

• Consolidated all inquiry channels into one dashboard
• Configured AI to pre-qualify leads with key questions (company size, budget range, timeline, specific needs)
• Presales team received qualified leads with context already captured
• Chat transcripts revealed patterns in prospect concerns, helping the team prepare better
• Lead quality improved noticeably—less time wasted on poor-fit prospects

The outcome: The team reported that qualified lead volume increased and they could focus their energy on prospects most likely to convert. The behavioral insights from chat patterns also helped them refine their website messaging and service descriptions.

This wasn't a dramatic overnight transformation, but a meaningful operational improvement that made their presales process more efficient and effective.

The Bottom Line

Small businesses lose customers every day—not because their product or service is inferior, but because they're not present when prospects need help. Questions go unanswered, objections remain unaddressed, and buying decisions happen in moments when you're unavailable.

JivoChat won't solve every business problem, but it does solve the specific challenge of customer communication at scale for small businesses with limited budgets.

Is it perfect? No. The AI isn't as sophisticated as enterprise solutions, the analytics are basic, and the mobile experience could be better. But for small businesses looking to consolidate communication channels, provide 24/7 basic support, qualify leads more effectively, and gain visibility into why prospects leave without converting—all for $19-50/month—it's the most practical option in 2026.

My suggestion: Try the free plan for a week on your highest-traffic pages. See if you get meaningful conversations. Track whether those conversations lead to customers. Let the data tell you whether it's worth upgrading.

If you're getting quality interactions that lead to conversions, JivoChat pays for itself many times over. If you're not getting conversations, you may need to work on driving more qualified traffic first—live chat is an amplifier, not a traffic generator.

Ready to test it? Start JivoChat's free trial and see what happens on your highest-intent pages.

---

Questions about implementing live chat for your specific business type? Drop them in the comments—I'm happy to share what I've learned from actual client deployments.

10 Reasons Why ChatGPT Will Not Replace A Search Engine Like Google

The last few months have seen a huge debate over ChatGPT and its impact on the way people look for information, create content and consume them. More so, the discussion has been centered around the question of whether ChatGPT will replace or topple Google Search Engine as the preferred method of searching for information. The speed with which ChatGPT is getting adopted as a tool of choice for various applications in the digital space has further fueled this debate. 

While I can't really predict the future with surety, I believe that ChatGPT and Google can very well co-exist and even be complementary in various ways. I say this because there are reasons why ChatGPT (in its current form) cannot replace Google or other search engines for that matter. 

10 Reasons Why ChatGPT Will Not Replace A Search Engine Like Google

1. ChatGPT generates human-like responses to specific questions or prompts, whereas search engines like Google are designed to provide a comprehensive list of relevant results based on search queries in the form of keywords and phrases. Also, ChatGPT does not crawl the web and index information in the same way that Google and other search engines do.
2. ChatGPT is an NLP (natural language processing) based AI tool that relies on a pre-existing dataset and may not have access to the vast amount of information that gets generated and indexed in real-time by search engines. This also means that though ChatGPT can generate responses based on the information it was trained on, it might not be able to provide a comprehensive and satisfactory list of relevant results for a given query.
3. The chances of biased or inaccurate information or results being shown are high with ChatGPT and other similar AI tools. This is so since it will provide results based on its understanding derived from a fixed dataset as used by the developers. Also, the fact is that even though efforts can be made to ensure the training data is recent, diverse, and unbiased, there always be a risk of bias creeping in during the training process.
4. ChatGPT also has a limitation when it comes to providing results for certain types of queries, such as complex mathematical calculations and image searches. Search engines like Google have specialized algorithms and databases that allow them to handle a wide variety of queries.
5. ChatGPT may not be able to provide results in real-time, which is essential for time-sensitive searches like news and current events. Search engines like Google have real-time indexing capabilities that allow them to provide up-to-date information.
6. ChatGPT cannot filter out irrelevant results as effectively as search engines like Bing or Google. Search engines have advanced algorithms that allow them to filter out low-quality or irrelevant content.
7. ChatGPT may not be able to provide as much context or background information for its responses like Google and other search engines can. Search engines can provide a wealth of information about a topic, including related articles, images, and videos.
8. Google and other search engines have developed advanced algorithms that can easily handle multi-part queries, and complex searches effectively to provide relevant results. On the other hand, ChatGPT may not be able to handle such queries or follow-up questions as effectively as search engines.  
9. ChatGPT does not provide multiple search results to a query and hence the searcher might end up with very little or incorrect information. ChatGPT is conversational in nature and functioning and may not be able to provide a diverse range of results or perspectives on a given topic as effectively as search engines like Google. Search engines like Google can provide a wide range of sources and perspectives on a topic.
10. Search engines like Google are able to handle complex search queries in multiple languages, providing accurate results in the searched language. In comparison, ChatGPT or any similar AI tools might not be able to provide results in multiple languages as effectively as Google. 

Final Word: 

We need to understand that ChatGPT is not competing with Google or any other search engine. Although both of them do handle search queries to provide needed answers and information, they function differently and serve different purposes. In its current form, ChatGPT will be exceptional for customer service, content creation, or personalized marketing, while search engines like Google are primarily used for information retrieval and research.

Let me know what you think?

Cheers! 

Vikas

The Top 10 Cloud Hosting Providers in 2023

If you want to know what the top cloud hosting providers in 2023 are, for hosting your website and other web applications, then read on!

There are several cloud hosting providers available in the market, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Here are some of the top (and best) cloud hosting providers currently available in the market:

List of Top Cloud Hosting Providers in 2023

• Amazon Web Services (AWS)
• Microsoft Azure
• Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
• Digital Ocean
• Vultr
• Linode
• IBM Cloud
• Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI)
• Digital Realty
• Rackspace
• Hostinger
• Cloudways (my personal favorite!)

Let's look at these in more detail:

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

AWS is a robust and comprehensive cloud hosting provider with a wide range of services and features to address all kinds of cloud hosting needs and complexities. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is more suited for mid to large-scale enterprises and is more costly as compared to the others.

Microsoft Azure 

Another popular enterprise cloud hosting platform, Microsoft Azure is also more suited for mid to large enterprises. Azure has a wide range of cloud hosting services and integrates well with other Microsoft products. 

Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

A cloud hosting platform known for its innovation, Google Cloud Platform offers a range of advanced features such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to go along with its cloud hosting services, making it an attractive proposition for anyone looking to use the Google business suite for managing their digital presence or business.

Digital Ocean

A simple and economical cloud hosting provider, Digital Ocean cloud hosting provider is primarily aimed at small businesses and developers. Digital Ocean is scalable, comparatively easy to manage, and affordable. 

Vultr

A fast and reliable cloud hosting provider that offers affordable services for small to medium-sized businesses. Vultr has gained a lot in popularity for its top performance and features like hourly billing, solid state drives, and enhanced security features.  

Linode

Stable and secure cloud hosting provider, Linode offers high-performance and reliable services suitable for businesses of all sizes and natures.

IBM Cloud

IBM is a reliable cloud hosting provider that offers a range of services that includes 'compute, storage, and networking' feature among others. IBM Cloud has cloud hosting solutions that are built for enterprise-level businesses.

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure

A cloud hosting provider, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure offers a range of cloud hosting services that includes 'compute, storage, and networking' feature, with more of a focus on security and compliance.  Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) too, is designed for enterprise-level businesses. 

Digital Realty

Digital Realty is a powerful cloud hosting provider that offers a range of services, including colocation, connectivity, and cloud services, suited more for enterprises and large-scale businesses.

Rackspace

A cloud hosting provider that offers managed cloud services and support, Rackspace is more suitable for websites and businesses that require expert assistance in managing their cloud infrastructure.

Hostinger

Hostinger is a hosting provider that offers a range of cloud hosting plans that are designed to provide high performance and reliability for websites and web applications. Their cloud hosting plans are built on top of Google Cloud infrastructure, which means that you can benefit from the power and scalability of Google Cloud without having to manage it yourself.

Cloudways

Any list of top cloud hosting solutions providers cannot be complete without the mention of Cloudways managed hosting solution. 

Now, Cloudways managed hosting solution is slightly different in nature - it does not provide any cloud infrastructure of its own rather it allows users the benefit of choosing the cloud service provider of their choice from among a selection of the top providers such as AWS, Digital Ocean, Google Cloud, Linode, Vultr, etc. It also is among the best cloud hosting solutions providers when it comes to ease of use and flexibility with key features like pay-as-you-go, 1-click deployment, etc. Know More! 

So there we go - the above are some of the top cloud hosting solutions providers in 2023, in the market, offering a range of services and features to suit different business needs and budgets.

Cheers!

Vikas

Will ChatGPT replace Google Search?

 A question that is currently dominating the discourse in Digital Media - 

Will ChatGPT replace Google Search?

Well, it does not seem likely that ChatGPT will replace Google Search soon; at least not in the near future. What we need to understand (as mentioned by ChatGPT itself :)) is that ChatGPT is not competing with the Google Search Engine nor is it trying to do what the Google search engine does. ChatGPT is primarily an AI language model/tool that is designed to generate human-like responses to inputs by users, while the Google Search Engine is a complex search tool that provides users with highly relevant and accurate results based on their search queries.

Not making too much sense? Let us dig slightly deeper...

Let's first understand what are ChatGPT and Google Search Engine...

What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is an AI tool developed by OpenAI on a language-processing AI model. It employs deep learning techniques to generate human-like text responses to user input. ChatGPT is designed to understand natural language and has been trained on internet data (up to 2021, I believe). This makes ChatGPT a powerful AI tool that can be used for various applications, including sharing information as requested, customer service, language translations, analyzing data and providing suggestions, and chatbot services as well. As mentioned, it has been trained on a huge amount of textual data from the internet and is able to generate coherent and relevant responses to a wide range of queries. ChatGPT is a fine example of how AI (Artificial Intelligence) technology can be used to bring in more productivity, enhance overall work efficiency and open up new possibilities for innovation in our lives.  

What is Google Search?

Google Search Engine is a search engine designed to let users search the internet for information. Google's search engine makes use of a complex algorithm to search through billions of web pages and other online content to provide users with relevant search results to their search queries. Users can access Google Search Engine through a web browser or through Google's mobile apps on smartphones and tablets. Google Search Engine is the most popular search engine in the world, with approx. over 90% of the search engine market share. Over the years, it has become an essential part of life for people to find information online. 

So, let us revisit the question again - 

Can ChatGPT replace Google Search?

No, ChatGPT will not replace Google Search (anytime soon) since they are two different tools designed for different purposes. 

ChatGPT is an AI language tool that is designed to understand human language and generate human-like responses to user inputs. Having been trained on a massive set of text data from the internet (but not real-time though), ChatGPT is used for a variety of applications such as content creation, data analysis, customer service, and personalized outreach and marketing. ChatGPT uses natural language processing (NLP) methods to understand user inputs/queries and accordingly generate appropriate responses.

On the other hand, the Google Search Engine is an online search tool that provides users with relevant search results based on their search queries. It uses highly complex algorithms to index and rank web pages based on various factors such as relevance, popularity, recency, and authority. Google search engine is primarily built to be used for information retrieval and research. Also, it surely does not generate human-like responses (like ChatGPT).

As we can see - both ChatGPT and Google may be used to answer questions or provide information but they serve different purposes and operate in different ways. ChatGPT interacts with users in a conversational manner and is more suited for tasks that require a more personalized approach. Google search engine is better suited for objective information retrieval and provides users with a list of relevant search results in response to search queries.

To summarize: 

ChatGPT and the Google Search Engine are two different tools that serve different purposes. There are definitely overlaps at different levels in the way both of them can be used but they are not in direct competition with each other. In fact, to some extent, they can be found to complement each other, if used with some degree of human intelligence. :)

Final word...

Chatgpt does not have a web crawler and it does not do any fresh research on its own...so no time sensitive queries can be addressed satisfactorily. It has only been fed data till 2021 and based on that data...it does NLP to answer queries....so it will definitely assist secondary research but will not replace a search engine as the main resource for even secondary research...since it can't research on its own. It will always be dependent on a search engine (for the time). 

In the future, things might change in a way that AI NLPs will become like browsers.....enabling conversational searches and the showing of results accordingly.  

The most immediate impact of ChatGPT (as of now) is on content generation and chances are the net will get flooded with lots and lots of content of mixed quality. This will, in turn, have an impact on the user experience as well and things might change very rapidly. Today's world is of disruption - across all aspects of life. I believe, we are in for a highly interesting time ahead, stay alert! 

Cheers! :)

Most Impactful Digital Marketing Trends For 2021

In an article that I wrote for Quadigy Blog, I had shared the list of the digital marketing trends that I think are dominant now in 2021 and will dictate the efforts of marketers around for the coming months. 

This article takes into account the huge difference that Covid pandemic has made to our lives and how businesses, people and the world in general will behave in post-Covid era. 

The pandemic has completely changed the way people search for, access, and utilize information, communication, products, and services.

I will use this opportunity to summarize the Top Digital Marketing Trends for 2021. Build your marketing strategies around these to tap into the potential of enhanced reach and consumer buy-ins. 

1. An explosion of user-generated (& short) videos and micro-influencers

This trend will continue to grow rapidly in 2021. For brands and marketers, these micro-influencers will continue to be the preferred low-cost alternative to TV and radio Ads.

2. New social media networks and user platforms

Related to the previous one, this trend of new social media platforms mushrooming all over will see brands and marketers experiment with many new platforms in an attempt to gain an early advantage. 

 

3. Core Web Vitals – The New Page Experience Update from Google

Figure out the areas of improvement and start getting your website in order so that you don’t end up losing all your website traffic to a bad user experience score!

 

4. Increase in selling on social media platforms

Social commerce or social-selling is not necessarily new but it has become all the more powerful as a means to market, sell and build brand loyalists in today’s Covid-19 pandemic era. 

2021 will see more and more social media marketplaces come up, allowing people to buy directly from their phones, through recommendations, shared products, etc.

 

5. Personalization and Hyper-targeting

Personalization (and hyper-targeting) in paid digital promotions and content marketing is a trend that will continue to grow in 2021.

The technological advancements made in AI and real-time data gathering is giving a lift to personalized, targeted shopping experiences as well.

In 2021, it will be very important for brands and marketers to target their audiences with data-driven and personalized messaging (as much as possible) and targeted campaigns.

 

6. The rise of AI (Artificial Intelligence) in Marketing

Some key areas where AI is and will be a disruptor are personalized communication (through chatbots and consumer behavior-driven content feeds), product/service recommendations, email personalization, and transaction assistance. Another key use is of AI-powered voice assistants – more prominently used by mobile users.

 

7. The acceptance of AR (augmented reality) in Marketing

AR Marketing still remains a novelty; been used by a few of the top brands such as Ikea, Facebook, Sephora, L’Oreal, Hyundai, Mercedes, and Uber.

However, as AR technology keeps improving, we will find more brands experimenting with it in order to provide something new to their consumers in terms of experience.

 

8. Brands that have values and can be trusted will have more loyal customers

The Covid-19 pandemic of 2020 has been one of their toughest times for the modern world post World War II. Humanity has been tested in many ways in 2020, bringing values like Trust, Social Responsibility, and Humanity to the fore.

Brands that are seen to be making efforts for the world’s good, in general, are enjoying more respect and loyalty from their consumers.

 

9. Digital ABM with LinkedIn

Over the past few years, LinkedIn has become the best platform for organizations to test various ABM strategies.

Features like the Sales Navigator and InMail allows LinkedIn users to target accounts with highly personalized engagement. It also allows us to target multiple accounts with pre-planned offers, schemes. LinkedIn is also very useful when it comes to upselling new services/products or renewals to existing clients/customers.

 

10. Demographic changes to the digital audience 

Well, the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 has thrown the old systems awry. The world has shifted to the new reality of minimal contact (or contact-less in many cases) based existence.

This shift also forced a new demographic – the Baby Boomers to get used to the online world and even make their first online purchases (mostly out of necessity) for buying essentials and so on.

This development has presented brands and marketers an easy opportunity to access this new addition to the digital audience to engage and sell to them.

 

Final Word:

So, that's it! You have the top 10 digital marketing trends for 2021 – make sure that you figure out what’s relevant to your market and business and accordingly stitch together your marketing strategy. 

You may also read the complete article here

Not so sure about how to leverage some of these trends? Or are you looking for help in your digital marketing to meet your business objectives? Write to me.

 

Cheers!

 

 

Getting Back...The Voice Of A Marketer - Wiser With More Grey Than Before!

Hello Friends, 

After ages, I am here, on this blog of mine, ready once again to share what I have learned, the knowledge that I keep acquiring every day.....with young professionals or students yet or with anyone who seeks. 

Let me bring this space up to where I am today, let me cover those lost years in words little yet not diminished in value... 

I have stayed true to the space of digital marketing. However, in the last seven odd years; I have gravitated from online writing, copywriting (and even creative writing!) to shouldering the responsibility of helping voices, stories and propositions be found by an audience that is willing. 

Almost 18 years in the field has allowed me to cover its vastness and still stay eager to learn more. 

With this new attempt to be be regularly conversing with you, I intend to share my two bits on almost everything - from how to successfully run a business, to building growth strategies, on digital marketing, on writing, and even on professional growth and more. 

Also an update - Since 2017, I, along with three of my very good friends and workmates, am running a digital marketing firm named Quadigy. We are growing and we aim to keep growing very fast. 

Wish me luck. Wish Quadigy luck!

Ten Things That You Can Do To Become The Leader That People Love To Follow

(image source: google.com)

For a leader to become a good leader, a leader of choice, he or she needs to enjoy the respect of the people whom he/she will be leading. And, respect only comes when it is mutual – a leader first needs to learn to give respect to his/her team or people in order to enjoy their respect. 

I am sharing my thoughts, which are based on my life experiences, right from the time when I was a small boy, following my elder brother, trusting him completely that he will do the right thing to today when I have the fortune of guiding friends and team members discover their own path and leading successfully to their destinations.

I believe, more than the capability, it is the attitude that makes a leader. So, the question that is more important is, Can we develop the right attitude for becoming the leader that we would like to follow in our life? The answer is a big YES!

There are a few things that a person can do to be the choice leader rather than be an imposed leader. Let’s dive straight into them….these are:

1.    Focus on inculcating self-discipline and not control

2.    Guide, help, show them the path, the destination, but let them do their own running

(image source: google.com)

  3.    Be involved, but not all the time

  4.    Trust them to the job, it’s okay if there are a few mistakes

  5.    It’s important that you talk but it is equally important that you listen well

6.    Stand up for them and not up to them

7.    Be fair, at all times

8.    Be an inspiration to them; and make sure that they shine too

9.    Let them know that you don’t have all the answers but are ready to seek them

10. Learn to celebrate together! (image source: google.com)

This article is tuned more towards leadership situations that we experience in our careers and workplaces, although the suggestions are applicable to all aspects of our lives. Tell me what you make of these 10 points. In my future articles, I will try and discuss each of these points in detail. In the meantime, also please share your thoughts on what makes a good leader. I look forward to your valuable comments.

Thanks for reading through this post! 

Letting the Leader in You Lead Your Life!

(image source: google.com)

Everybody is a leader; you, me….all of us. What differs is the range of influence that each one of us might enjoy….it can be limited to self, or might include family, or friends, or a team that you work with, or a large group of people if you are a social personality...and so on. Please bear in mind; the range of influence is fluid…and keeps changing, depending upon our conduct in life. 

Leadership is all about leading a towards a better tomorrow, it can be by overcoming a crisis, dealing with a situation, successfully managing your work, achieving personal goals, getting success, meeting aspirations and in being happy. The impact of being a good leader or a bad leader will change depending upon your range of influence.

I am currently part of a mid-sized organization, which has grown 11 years old, and is in the middle of a transformation, transformation of a collective mindset of being a startup to moving towards the awareness that we are no more a startup but a robust organization that needs to tackle competition, and focus on growing rather than surviving. This situation also provides me a great opportunity to understand what makes and breaks a project, how goals are set and achieved and how, in all of these, the quality of leadership makes a difference.

In the following few posts, I will attempt to share my understanding of Leadership…., and the worth of it, if any. J

Top 5 Business Mobile Apps for iPhone/iPad and Other iOS Mobile Device Users

Well, it took a long time in coming but I guess, the delay has not been bad – after all I get to talk about some new, awesome business apps from the iOS App Store…so here I go (as promised) – following are the Top 5 iOS Business Apps for this year so far…

 Microsoft Office 365 – Your Office in Your Pocket!

Microsoft made big news when it launched Microsoft Office 365 for the iOS platform, thereby lending enhanced capability to the iPhone users. The version of the app available for the iOS device users is similar to the one which has been available to the Windows device users and now to the android phone/tablet users. Now, even iPhone users can easily read, edit & create documents (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) without worrying about doc formats!

(A note: the android version of the app has just been launched!)

Download the iOS version here: https://itunes.apple.com/in/app/office-mobile-for-office-365/id541164041?mt=8

Evernote – Note-Making Made Easy

For me, Evernote makes the grade as one of the top iOS apps as well. Like I mentioned in my post on top Android apps, Evernote is immensely popular not only as a business app but also as a consumer app because of its simple note-making capabilities. This note-making mobile app has also managed to keep up with changing times with timely updates (so far), ensuring that new features are added as needed. The latest, updated version (version 5.0) came up with plenty of new features. Some of the prominent features in the updated Evernote iPhone mobile app are:

Multi-shot camera mode – it allows users to shoot multiple images with their phone camera and then save all of them to a single note.

Sync support – it allows users to use the same Evernote account across different device/platforms.

Page Camera function – a special feature that lets you use your SmartPhone like a scanner.

Here’s where to click if you want this cool app: https://itunes.apple.com/in/app/evernote/id281796108?mt=8

Genius Scan – The Trusted Document Scanner

It is amazing to see a phone develop exceptional capabilities when we spruce it up with power-packed mobile application. Genius Scan is one such iOS based mobile application that will turn your iPhone into a PDF Document scanner!

The way it functions is pretty simple – you don’t have to do more than use the app, Genius Scan; it does the rest. Genius Scan features a highly advanced scanner technology that allows it to easily scan documents via smart page detection, to do perspective corrections, to do image post processing and you can also create PDF documents with multiple scans! This iOS-based app for iPhones & iPads lets you easily scan documents and mail them through your phone itself. You can send the scanned documents across either as a JPEG image or a PDF document.

Wanna download the app or simply want to know more? Here is the link: https://itunes.apple.com/in/app/genius-scan-pdf-scanner/id377672876?mt=8

Dragon Dictation – You Say It, Your Phone Will Type It!

Taking mobility to the next level, Dragon Dictation mobile application turns every word that you speak into text, which means now no more actually typing messages or writing emails on your phone, you just have to say it and the phone will do the rest!

Well, voice recognition applications aren’t really new to us but this cool app has simply taken it to the next level; like I said before. Created by Nuance Communications, this amazing app is a dedicated iOS mobile app and turns your iPhone, iPad, and other iOS powered mobile devices into a handsfree typing machine. Adding more power, this app can type 5x times faster than your keyboard. Plus, it features support for many languages from around the world. It works not only for your messages or emails but also for your blog posts and posts to social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, etc.

Here’s where you can check it out: https://itunes.apple.com/en/app/dragon-dictation/id341446764?mt=8

Trip It – An Amazing Trip Planner!

Another amazing mobile app that makes the cut on both – Android & iOS; Trip It is deservingly the favorite travel related app for seasoned business users, new entrepreneurs & top executives.  

Simple, easy-to-use interface and the capability to sync all your travel details make this mobile app extremely useful for people who travel frequently for work. Trip It mobile app comes equipped with various features that lets it plan your business travel schedule with precision. This iOS mobile application supports more than a thousand booking sites and provides a one-stop solution for scheduling and managing travel. You can access maps, reservations, flight details and more. It can sync your calendar with your travel entries and allows you to share your trip plans with office, family and friends.

Download the app here: https://itunes.apple.com/in/app/tripit-travel-organizer-free/id311035142?mt=8

So that’s for the top 5 business apps of 2013 (until this time) on iOS platform!

It is exciting times for the digital world, especially for handheld devices, which are the focus of all major digital innovations. Applications being the main driving force behind these innovations, we can safely say that our mobile devices; be it a sleek smartphone or a swanky tablet; will be gaining more power, more capabilities in the coming days. And, we will be happier for it! J

Social Media Management as a Business Opportunity

Hi Friends,

Social Media Marketing and Management, today, presents a great opportunity for people who are creative, have zeal for selling ideas, products, or anything and an addiction for social media and technology. I am sharing a very simple presentation that I had prepared for my class, explaining social media management as I understand. It would be great if you share your views, or feedback.

Here we go!

Social media management as a business opportunity from Vikas Sharan

Aesthetic Design in Information Technology & The Online Space

Aesthetics in Design

Aesthetics plays an important role in helping humans decide what is beautiful or appealing and what is not. In its truest sense, aesthetics revolves round the wholeness of a particular thing or a scenario rather than bits and pieces or components. 

It is important that we understand that aesthetics and design go hand-in-hand; especially more so for any IT organization that provides technological innovations and services or is in the business of making products for the gadgets of the future. Such an organization needs to make sure that aesthetics is involved in everything that we do. So, whether we are into making websites or software development such as internet-based software applications, mobile applications or complicated database-driven extranet and client-server applications or even providing online marketing solutions; I believe that everything we built or design has to first appeal to our eyes, then our heart and then our mind. This simply means that the end product has to have a pleasing, attractive look and feel along with being functionally perfect. It is just not enough for a technology firm to say that they take extra care where it concerns designs; the truth is – if anybody has to come out on top in today’s competitive world, they need to be seriously crazy about their work and can proudly say that their product/services are refined, elegant and simply awesome in all aspects. (image source: google.com)

Aesthetics and the online world

As more and more businesses are getting online, the competition in the online space to grab eyeballs is as real and harsh as it is between shops in a fiercely competitive marketplace such as a shopping mall or a roadside bazaar. It has become exceptionally challenging for any business firm to differentiate itself or its services and products from that of its competitors. Being just a big brand name will not always help. In the online world, every business has a chance to upstage its competitors. Having an awesome product or offering superior service is not enough to fight off the competition and emerge as a winner. , So, how do we create the differentiator…the difference that will drive potential customers to us? Well, the BIG differentiator is the DELIGHT aspect. And this is where aesthetic design steps in. Ergonomic design that offers both functionality as well as visual appeal in the form of elegant layouts, coupled with exceptional product quality and packaging brings in the much needed element of DELIGHT for the prospective clients/customers. (image source: google.com)

It was superior quality product design married with an aesthetic beauty that has made Apple products one of the most favored and admired product lines in the world today. It is the visually appealing websites that we often remember and like to visit, and most of the apps that we use or love have (not so surprisingly) pleasing look and feel.  Well-spaced & attractive layouts, beautiful icons, simple functionality, easy navigation are some of the features that we all look in the software that we use. So, if you are a business with a brilliant product to sell or exceptional service to offer, or simply someone who loves being in the limelight, it is important that you pay special attention to the schematic beauty of your offering. In fact, ergonomic design that has the right balance of aesthetic beauty and superior functionality provides an extra dash of creativity to any product or solution. It goes a long way in ensuring success in a highly competitive and fast-changing world. (image source: google.com)

Aesthetic Beauty…A Commitment

As already mentioned, I strongly believe that aesthetics and simplicity in design and implementation is important to any information technology (IT) product; whether it is a website, systems applications, networks, ecommerce solutions, or software apps. The best way to go about ensuring aesthetics in IT product designs is implementing a clutter-free, simple and to-the-purpose (effective) functioning methodology in your firm’s operations. This very approach will go a long way in helping create products/services that will delight your clients and help them delight their customers as well. (image source: google.com)

Feedback

I will be the happiest person if you can make the effort to write in your thoughts on the post. Also please feel free to share your views about on aesthetic design and today’s information technology (IT) led world.

Thank You!