Understanding the .com bias and what it means for your small business

My friends, did you know that we're currently living in the year 2016? And remember back in January when we were all making jokes about "sweet '16, don't be mean"? Considering how brutal this year has been, it's safe to say that many of us wish we could erase it from memory. But we can't. We're still here.

And at this point, did you know that the internet has bee around for....several decades?! About thirty years, in fact! That's a long time - even older than me and I'm basically geriatric.  

On the grand & glorious world wide web today, there are over 1 BILLION websites. 1 billion! That number is insane and totally cool. There really is a place for everyone online.

However, the numbers don't lie - although most websites were/are built on the .com top-level domain (TLD), there simply aren't enough possibilities for every single website to be build on it. Eventually, we will run out of .com options and everything will have been purchased already.

With that came the invention of other TLD options. If you're even a moderate web browser (which I assume you are, you savvy thing), you've probably come across them before : .ca, .net, .org, .co., .xyz, etc. 

So now that we've established that while many websites end in .com, not all websites have to. That's good news - right?! Well, hold on a minute.

As much as it pains me to admit it, we need to have an honest discussion about the .com bias and what it means for you - and your business.

Choosing a domain for your business is one of the most important steps of starting a website so it's important to have as much information as you can in order to make the right decision for you. 

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Everything you need to know about Squarespace Analytics

Squarespace is my favourite website platform for many reasons but one of the points that I keep coming back to is just how intuitively the features are laid out. Most people who opt for a Squarespace website are looking for a one-and-done platform and in this area, Squarespace delivers. There's no fiddling with extra plugins or add on features, hardly any code to add or adjust, and almost anything you want to do can be achieved within a few simple clicks through the Squarespace backend. 

Analytics are one of the most fun features to play around in with Squarespace, especially for a data nerd like myself. The sky is the limit when it comes to reviewing your website's trends, visitor behaviour and to see what's working and what isn't in your business. Not only does Squarespace provide a veritable goldmine of information, it's layout is beyond simple to use and navigate which is another win in my book. 

Today I'm going to walk you through the Squarespace Analytics features and give you an overview of how it's all set up in the backend. As you get more familiar with the analytics, you'll have a better understanding of who your audience is, what they're viewing on your site and what they're most interested in.

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