PSPINC Official Company Blog

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 202 “Corporate Social Responsibility”

Jan

11

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is the idea that a company should have a positive role in the community and consider the environmental and social impact of business decisions. Part of CSR can include donating money to worthy causes. Especially when they align with the values you stand for as a company. In 2011, we started the PSP Children’s Foundation in response to the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan. As a company that serves many Japanese customers and employees many Japanese employees, we knew we wanted to do more to help Japan in its time of need.

Recently, Japan has experienced a series of earthquakes, and we want to do our part to help. That is why we're sharing an easy way you can help by going to our Earthquake Relief Donations page on our PSP Children Foundation website. Through our donate link, your donations will go directly to charitable organizations that will help aid Japan recover from these series of earthquakes.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#blog #business #businesstips #charity #corporatesocialresponsibility #csr #donate #donation #earthquakes #japan #newsletter #pspchildrensfoundation #pspinc #pspincwhatsnewnewsletter #smallbusiness #website

WebdeXpress V5 and Custom Web Server Database OS Upgrade Announcement

Dec

28

We’re happy to announce that we’ve upgraded our operating system (OS) for our website builder, WebdeXpress, and our custom web server’s database. We’ve upgraded our OS from Cent OS7 to Alma Linux 8 since there will no longer be technical support for Cent OS7 after June 30, 2024, and we continue striving towards making sure our hosting services are the safest they can be.

Update details

Before: Cent OS7

After: Alma Linux 8

Target servers

WebdeXpress V5 and our custom web database.

How to Install Upgraded OS:

To upgrade to the newest OS as an existing WebdeXpress or custom web server customer:

Log in to your Dreamersi admin panel.
Select either the WebdeXpress or Custom PHP (for those with a custom web server) icon.
Click on Install.

*New subscribers will automatically have this update installed.

Benefits of Updating OS

Improved security: the latest security updates will help patch vulnerabilities to defend users against cyber threats

If you have any questions about these changes or require more assistance, please email us at contact@pspinc.com or call us toll-free at 1-800-232-3989.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#announcement #b2b #blog #business #businesstips #businesstools #customersupport #cybersecurity #pspinc #security #smallbusiness #tech #technology #update #webdevelopment #webdexpress #webhosting #website #webtools

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 200 “The Importance of Brand Design”

Dec

28

One of the most important parts of running a business involves developing and maintaining your brand. While there are multiple definitions of what a brand is, in its simplest form, a brand is an immediately recognizable identity that differentiates itself from others. Having a clear brand for your company is especially vital for small businesses because it helps you establish credibility and trust with your target audience. For a small business, credibility and trust are crucial to long-term success.

Larger businesses will probably already have credibility built in because they’ve spent years growing and perfecting their brand. So, as a small business, making your brand clear to your customers will give you a competitive edge over other small businesses. One way that’ll help establish your brand is through brand attributes like your company’s logo. Whether you’re just starting or looking for a design refresh, we’ve got you covered! Starting at just $200 a logo, you can get a professional brand logo at an affordable price. Get started by heading over to our Brand and Graphic Design page.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#blog #brand #branding #business #businesstips #design #digitalmarketing #graphicdesign #logo #logodesign #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingtips #pspinc #pspincwhatsnewnewsletter #smallbusiness #technology #web #webdesign #website

The 5 Biggest Marketing Trends to Look Out For in 2024

Dec

26

As this year comes to a close, we’re reflecting on how marketing has evolved over the past year and how we can improve for next year, not only for our company but for our customers as well. When looking back, one thing’s for certain: advancements in technology are driving the trends that will only become even more popular next year. Here are five of the biggest marketing trends to look out for in 2024.

1. AI Marketing Automation

Artificial intelligence, or AI, has become an increasing trend over the past few years in multiple industries, but many marketers have also jumped on the bandwagon. Marketers have started using AI to create content and to take advantage of how AI integration analyzes data, personalizes customers’ experiences, and optimizes campaigns. Integrating AI into marketing strategies also helps hyper-personalize content, which has gained popularity over the past year.

But as helpful as AI technology has been to the marketing industry, it’s important not to employ a “set it and forget it” type of strategy. It’s still a largely developing technology, so there are still times when it’ll get things wrong, so it’s better to use AI integration in a more collaborative approach.

2. Video Marketing

person recording a video with their phone

As we’ve mentioned before, video marketing, especially short-form video marketing, has become more popular over the past few years. The rise of TikTok, Facebook/Instagram Stories, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts made this clear. Other video marketing tactics that have also shown great success include live streaming and interactive video content. For more tips, check out our blog post all about how to start marketing with short-form videos.

3. User-Generated Content (UGC)

a person presenting user-generated content results to a marketing team

One of the best ways to build credibility, increase user engagement, and foster a sense of community online is through user-generated content (UGC), which just refers to content your customers share about you online. This usually involves encouraging customers to share their experiences with your brand on social media through a specific hashtag or throwing contests where the best entry wins. But there are other ways to garner content from your customers.

Customer reviews, either on Google, Facebook, Yelp, or any other platform, also count as user-generated content. It just takes a little more work to share it on social media since it isn’t already on the same platform. You can either take a screenshot and resize it for social media, or you can add it into a template of sorts from a site like Canva to share with your social media followers.

4. Social Shopping

Over the past year especially, selling and shopping directly on social media has only become more accessible with Facebook Marketplace, Instagram’s buy button, and TikTok Shop. It’s pushed social shopping more toward social media, being an e-commerce ecosystem all on its own. With social shopping already gaining popularity, marketers expect this will significantly impact the online shopping landscape.

5. Privacy and Data Protection

One of the largest growing concerns among customers today consists of protecting their data, thanks to the uptick in cybercrimes over the past few years. Because of this, customers are much more informed and vigilant about how others handle their data and how they share their data. On the business side, it’s important to implement secure data collection and storage practices to protect your employees’ accounts, which is easy to do with a password manager like Pass Wizard. On the consumer-facing side, businesses should be very transparent about their data collection and storage practices and obtain explicit consent when collecting user data.

With how fast technology evolves today, there are bound to be many more marketing trends coming next year that we haven’t anticipated. However, our team here at PSPINC has the experience and expertise to help you grow your business by strengthening your marketing efforts. Whether it’s social media marketing, paid ads on Google, email marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), content marketing, or even blogging, we’ve got you covered. Get started today.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#ai #b2b #blog #branding #business #businesstips #data #digitalmarketing #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingonline #marketingtips #passwordmanager #sales #smallbusiness #socialmedia #tech #ugc #usergeneratedcontent #videomarketing #web #website

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 199 “Starter Web Design Plan Now on Sale!”

Dec

21

The new year is the perfect time to give your website an update to make sure it continues performing well and helps reach your business goals. So, why not get your site custom-designed? While it’s easy to use a popular website builder, it also traps your website into looking very similar to many others on the market. With a custom design, you not only stick out amongst your competitors, but it also lets you add design elements and features that may not be included in the multitude of popular templates and gives you more opportunity to add more of your business’s branding to your website.

That’s why we’re now offering $200 off our Starter web design plan for the holidays! With our Starter plan, get:

Ten custom pages
WebdeXpress (our website builder) or WordPress template selection
One-year web hosting with SSL certificate included
Contact form
Mobile-friendly
Social media integration
One additional language
20% off web updates for one year

With over 36 years of experience helping hundreds of customers grow their online business, our designers and developers at PSPINC have the expertise you need. Get started by heading over to our web design page and get $200 off our Starter web design plan now.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#b2b #blog #branding #business #businesstips #designer #developer #ecommerce #newsletter #pspinc #searchengineoptimization #seo #smallbusiness #tech #technology #web #webdesign #webdevelopment #webdexpress #webhosting #website #websites #wordpress

Custom Design and Development Showcase: Payroll Solutions Inc.

Dec

12

Payroll Solutions Inc. is a payroll service provider in the Pacific Northwest, founded in 2005 and now serves hundreds of clients throughout the U.S. Their services include payroll management, workforce management services, and employee time management services. They came to us looking for a visual rebranding and an improved organizational structure for their navigation bar and content, while incorporating their branding and color scheme, with a focus on leveraging their branding attributes, which consist of:

Delivering the best payroll services for small and mid-sized businesses
Always having a customer-centric mindset – focusing on their client’s needs and businesses and providing an exceptional experience.

So, to help them, we fully custom-designed their website by:

Rebuilding the website with WordPress with a fully custom theme
Redesigning their website
Integrating a client resource portal
Following branding guidelines, verbiage, and logo usage
Improving their website’s organizational structure – especially for their navigation bar and content
Leveraging their branding and color scheme
Redesigning their icon
Improving their previous sitemap

Now, if you go to PayrollSolutionsWA.com, you’ll find a fully responsive website that works on all device types. If you’re looking to custom-design your website, you’re in luck! Our Starter plan is now $799 ($200 off the regular price!). Or choose from one of our other budget-friendly web design plans by heading to our web design page.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#b2b #blog #branding #business #businesstips #businesstools #ecommerce #marketing #pspinc #searchengineoptimization #smallbusiness #tech #technology #update #web #webdesign #webdevelopment #website #websitebuilder #websites #wordpress

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 197 “Localize for English and Japanese-Speaking Customers”

Dec

7

For over 20 years now, we’ve been localizing content for small businesses looking to market toward both English-speaking customers and Japanese-speaking customers. Beyond just translating, we also build custom web applications, design and develop websites, and create digital marketing assets like social media posts using our localization expertise.

Our team at PSPINC knows it’s about more than just translating the words; it’s also about translating the meaning behind those words. That is the core of the localization work we’ve done for the past two decades, and what we continue to do even today. If you’re not quite sure of where to start, we always start with a consultation between you and our localization team before embarking on our project together. Learn more by heading over to our localization page on our website.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#advertising #b2b #blog #branding #business #businesstips #businesstools #content #design #development #digitalmarketing #localization #marketing #marketingtips #newsletter #pspinc #smallbusiness #tech #technology #web #webdevelopment #website #websites

What is Web Hosting?

Nov

28

Web hosting refers to providing storage space and access to websites. In other words, web hosting acts like a space where websites store their files so users can view them online. So, every website you’ve ever been on is hosted on a server.

There are three types of hosting:

Shared: consists of one server where multiple websites share resources in equal proportions

Dedicated: offers end users all the hardware resources of a given server instead of sharing them like in shared hosting

VPS hosting: stands for virtual private server and is like a mix of the two, where a single virtual machine on a piece of physical hardware is shared with other virtual machines with levels of performance, flexibility, and control that fit somewhere between what shared and dedicated hosting offers.

Features Worth Considering

When choosing what features you need for your website, start by looking at what each type of hosting plan offers. Paid plans will generally have additional features that make it easier to manage your site as opposed to a free plan, which has the basics needed to get a website online. The more a web hosting plan costs, the more features there will be. But all you really need to keep in mind are these three aspects of your web hosting plan: speed, support, and scalability.

In terms of speed, multiple factors affect your website’s speed—one of which is your web hosting plans, and if your site takes longer than two seconds to load, generally, a user won’t stay on your site. When it comes to support, it’s important to know that your web hosting provider can get your site up and back up and running quickly if it were to unexpectedly go down. Lastly, there’s scalability. Your plan might work for you now, but as your site gets more traffic, you’ll want to upgrade your plan–your web hosting provider needs to have that option available for you to grow.

There is a myriad of choices when it comes time to buy web hosting, and PSPINC is one of them! Dreamersi is our premiere web hosting option that we’ve fully custom-built in-house, making it easier to control the overall hosting environment and features we’ve built into it. To learn more, head over to Dreamersi.com.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#b2b #blog #business #businesstips #businesstools #customersupport #dreamersi #emailhosting #hosting #marketing #pspinc #seo #smallbusiness #tech #technology #video #web #webdevelopment #webhosting #website #websites #webtools #youtube

New Dreamersi FTP UI Now Available!

Nov

27

Today, we’re happy to announce that our web hosting service, Dreamersi, has a new UI (user interface) for its FTP features! FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol and lets users build your website by transferring files to a server. Web hosting like Dreamersi then hosts that server, making it much safer than hosting your site on a local computer, typically called the local host. Now, we’ve made it easier for customers to decipher the FTP login with our new and improved UI.

dreamersi ftp login ui change screenshot

In the new FTP login UI (shown above), you can access your FTP link and view your host name, user name, and FTP password all in one place. If you need help setting up your FTP, there are now written instructions for major FTP clients, namely Cyberduck, FileZilla, and WinSCP, for Mac or Windows users. For those who don’t use those clients, we’ve also made it easy for users to contact our support team.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#blog #business #businesstips #dreamersi #filetransferprotocol #ftp #ftpclient #pspinc #smallbusiness #tech #technology #ui #update #userinterface #web #webdevelopment #webhosting #website

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 195 “Establishing Brand Identity Through Design”

Nov

23

Brand identity is important to any business, especially small businesses. Large businesses have an advantage in terms of credibility compared to small businesses. A solid brand identity helps small businesses gain credibility and inspire customer loyalty. But what is brand identity? Internally, it’s the values your company stands for and how you want your customers to feel about you. Externally, it’s your logo and other graphic design attributes.

Here at PSPINC, we pride ourselves on helping small businesses every step of the way in the design process. If you’re unsure what your brand should be or what it should look like, or if you’re looking for a fresh rebrand for your company, we have your back! Whether it’s creating a logo design, designing a business card, or custom designing your website, we have you covered. Just visit our brand and graphic design page and/or our web design page to get started.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.