Best VPN Services

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The pandemic has changed work permanently. Before COVID-19, only 9.8 million (out of 140 civilian workers in the U.S.) worked remotely. Today, almost 70 million people are working remotely. 

Are you working remotely?

If you are, there’s a good chance that you’ll need a virtual private network (VPN). If you’re running a small business and your employees need to work remotely, you need a VPN as well. Today, we’re going to take a look at VPNs — what they are, why you need them, and how to find the VPN that’s right for you. 

What’s a VPN, and Why Do You Need One? 

A VPN is a private network that’s run through a public network — imagine that a remote worker sitting in Starbucks had an extra-long Ethernet cable. They plug one end into their computer, and the other end directly into their company’s servers at work. 

That’s basically what a VPN does; it creates a secure and encrypted tunnel from your computer to a server on the internet. This is great because it means no one can access the data you’re sharing with your computer and company server. You have privacy and data security. We’re going to look at seven of the top VPN Services, explaining the pros and cons of each service. 

Our 7 Picks For Best VPN Services:

1. Perimeter 81 
2. NordVPN Teams
3. ExpressVPN 
4. VyprVPN
5. SurfShark
6. Mullvad
7. TunnelBear

How to Choose the Best VPN Service for You

When you’re looking for a VPN, the first thing you’ll want to do is identify your needs. What do you want your VPN to do for you? What kinds of things do you need from your VPN? In general, most people focus their attention on four specific criteria. 

Criteria #1: Speed and Reliability

If you’re planning on using your VPN for things that require a lot of data or activity, you’ll want to choose a service that’s optimized for speed and reliability. If you’re sharing large files routinely or you’re streaming video consistently, you’ll want to select a VPN that provides unlimited connections, unlimited bandwidth, and high download and upload speeds. 

When it comes to speed and reliability, there are factors you control and factors your service provider controls. 

• Factors you control: Improving Wi-Fi stability, using a wired connection (which is always faster), upgrading your internet connection speeds, or upgrading your VPN. You can also choose a VPN service with more servers or servers closer to your desired location. 
• Factors you don’t control: Number of servers, server load, or server location/distance – longer distance = slower speeds. International bandwidth restrictions (i.e., VPNs in Australia are slow due to underwater fiber optic cables carrying a set amount of data at any one time) and VPN protocols also impact speed. And another thing, complicated peering relationships between networks, also reduces speed.

You’ll want to test your VPN speed so you can verify the claims your provider is making. You’ll need two things to do that — an accurate testing method and a baseline for your tests. Here are some of the more reliable speed tests you can use to verify your VPN speeds. 

• speedof.me
• speedtest.net
• fast.com
• speedtest.xfinity.com

Next, run a speed test on the same connection, with and without your VPN. If you’re on Wi-Fi, stay on Wi-Fi for both tests. Run the tests twice to get an average speed. Run your tests using the same VPN server/location you plan on using with your service. 

Criteria #2: Security and Privacy

VPNs should be secure by default; the VPN service you choose should have the basics of security and privacy protection down. Here are the most important security and privacy requirements you’ll need to consider when choosing a VPN. 

Security

• Handshake encryption: This takes place at the beginning of the VPN session where you and the server you’re communicating with exchange private keys that encrypt or decrypt data and messages to acknowledge each other.  
• Authentication: Reputable VPN services will use a hash algorithm to automatically verify the packets they receive, making sure that data from a middleman hasn’t been injected into your packet. They’ll also verify that your data hasn’t been tampered with or changed in any way. 
• Ciphers: This is an algorithm, like AES, that encrypts and decrypts your data in a series of clearly defined steps. Using a key to encrypt your data makes it impossible for unwanted eyes to spy on your data unless they have the specific key that was used to encrypt the message. So the unencrypted message “VPNs made easy” would become “FVWWOluB9rHb5KUtyJYqlA==” using the AES algorithm. 
• Encryption strength: 128-bit AES encryption is faster but less secure; 256-bit encryption is slower but more secure. Stronger encryption is obviously harder to break, so this is more of a priority if you’re focused on security. 

Privacy

• Activity logs: Many free VPN services track your activity — the websites and pages you visit, files downloaded, etc. These free VPNs sell or monetize your usage activity on their VPN without your permission or knowledge. 
• Connection logs: Other VPN services track assigned IP addresses, connection start/end times, or bytes of data transferred. This typically doesn’t include your data, but it can be combined with other data (i.e., the IP address you used to log into your Slack account) to expose your identity. 

If privacy is important to you, you’ll want to stick with log-free VPN services that don’t track your activity or metadata. 

Criteria #3: Compatible Devices

If you have an iPhone, but you use Windows on your computer, you’ll want to verify that the VPN services are compatible with your devices. While most VPN services are compatible with the standard platforms — Windows, Mac, Android, Linux, and iOS, etc. some aren’t available on all platforms. The VPN that’s Windows ready may not be available on Android or iOS.

You’ll want to verify that your devices are all compatible before signing up. 

Criteria #4: Connections 

How many devices can connect to your VPN service simultaneously? The availability of connections tends to vary from service to service. Some providers allow just one; others allow up to three, while others are unlimited. You’ll need to identify what you need ahead of time. 

It’s not just connections that you have to worry about, though. You also have to take a look at the availability of countries and the availability of servers. If you have specific availability needs, you’ll want to verify this with your VPN service provider ahead of time, then confirm this during your free trial or guarantee period. 

Other important considerations include: 

• Payment plans: The cost you’ll pay for VPN services varies considerably, and it depends on the features you choose and the length of your subscription. 
• Customer service: If you need on-demand customer support (in case something goes wrong), you’ll want a VPN service that provides live chat or phone support (which will impact the price). If that’s not as much of a concern, then a provider who offers email support may be a better option. 
• Free trial or money-back guarantee:  If you opt for a service that offers a free trial, you’ll want to choose a service that gives you enough time to try things out. Some VPN services’ free trial period is quite short, which may not be enough time to verify the service on your end. A money-back guarantee is ideal because you have a way out in case their service isn’t what you’ve expected. 
• User friendly or tech-savvy: If you’re not comfortable with setting up and configuring your VPN, you’ll want to make sure you find a provider with a user-friendly interface. Some providers will configure your VPN for you virtually, so everything is done for you ahead of time. 

You must figure out what you’re looking for ahead of time. 

The Different Types of VPN Services 

It’s important to make a distinction between VPN technology and VPN services. As we’ve already discussed, a virtual private network boils down to a secure, private connection between your device and endpoint. That is VPN technology. The VPN service, on the other hand, uses VPN technology to provide you with a package of tools. Using VPN services, you can not only protect your internet connection and guard your privacy but gain access to extra customer service with configuration guides, automatic setup, and live chat support. 

Different types of VPNs:

• Remote Access VPN – Provide a secure connection from a user to a remote server to gain entry to a private network.
• Intranet-based Site-to-Site VPN – Provide a secure connection for various users in different, fixed locations to connect to each other’s resources. For example: With a site-to-site VPN, multiple local area networks (LAN) can connect to a single wide-area network (WAN). Think of one company with numerous locations sharing resources.
• Extranet-based Site-to-Site VPN – Difficult to implement, these VPNs are common in large-scale business environments where you are looking for a secure connection between two separate intranets, but you do not want them having the ability to access each other directly. Think of two different companies working together. 
• Cloud VPN – Also known as virtual private network-as-a-service (VPNaaS), is designed for organizations that rely on outsourced cloud data centers instead of in-house infrastructure. A traditional VPN doesn’t work if your organization stores all of your data in the cloud. A cloud VPN allows users to access a company’s resources — applications, data, and files through a website or via a native desktop or mobile app. 

As a user looking to secure your privacy and access the internet, or secure business data for your remote workforce, you’re most likely looking for commercial VPN Services, let’s take a look at our picks for the top VPN providers.

1. Perimeter 81 – The Best for Small Business Teams

• Pricing: $8/mo. (annual), $10/mo. (monthly
• Number of servers: 700+
• Money-back Guarantee: 30-day
• Support: 24/7 live chat
• Single sign-on: Yes
• # of Users: Minimum of 5 team member

Perimeter 81 is an Israeli-based business VPN service that’s unique because of its Cloud VPN architecture. It’s great for users on multiple devices. You don’t need external legacy hardware or tools. It comes with the business features you’d need to run your remote organization safely in the cloud. 

Perimeter 81 is ideal for remote businesses because it protects your business from unexpected mistakes. Their automatic Wi-Fi Security and DNS Filtering features instantly shield your data by automatically activating VPN protection when employees connect to unknown, untrusted networks. According to their website, “All outbound and inbound traffic is encrypted and routed through your dedicated private servers – concealing your company’s actual IP address with an IP mask.”

This protection shields your company from man-in-the-middle attacks and unsecure Wi-Fi networks. Their service keeps your business safe from data breaches, lawsuits due to negligence, and other claims. Employee training is important, but Perimeter protects your employees and your business when they’re working. 

They also provide you with the data you need to monitor network activity. You can audit resource access, monitor bandwidth consumption, and detect network anomalies remotely and at any time. All of this is important because more organizations have a “bring your own device” (BYOD) policy in place.

The potential downside to Perimeter 81’s service is access points. As of today, they have 700 public servers in 36 countries. That might sound like a lot until you realize some of their competitors have double or triple that amount in twice as many countries. 

Pros

• Single sign-on (SSO) functionality
• User friendly and easy-to-use
• Great for remote businesses
• Auto-integrated with all cloud providers
• Secure access to both managed and unmanaged devices

Cons

• Higher price point
• Fewer servers than their competitors

2. NordVPN Teams — New Service From Industry Leader

• Pricing: $7 – $9 per mo. 
• Number of servers: 5,000+
• Money-back Guarantee: 30-day
• Support: 24/7 response within 3 hrs.
• Single sign-on: Yes
• Multi-device support: Yes apps on all devices

NordVPN Teams is a new VPN service from an industry leader. NordVPN is known for its consistent performance, a strong stance on privacy, and aggressive security features. The company is based in Panama, where there are no mandatory data retention laws and no legal obligation to collect your data. It’s also important because Panama doesn’t participate in the five eyes or fourteen eyes alliances. 

They don’t track, collect, or share your private data — activity, usage, or metadata. They invited one of the big four auditing firms PriceWaterhouseCoopers AG, to run an industry-first audit of their no logging claims to verify that they’re telling the truth.

NordVPN is one of the few providers that offers double VPN, an advanced VPN security feature that routes your traffic through two VPN servers instead of one, encrypting your data twice. They provide two-factor authentication and single sign-on, which are standard features for top-tier VPN services. They also provide you with a kill switch, if your connection drops for even a second, the kill switch will cut off all the Internet traffic on your device, ensuring none of your information is exposed online.

For business customers, they provide you with a dedicated account manager that’s assigned to your account. Your Control Panel enables you to manage user accounts, control permissions, and create gateways. You can oversee user activity, monitor server load, add new users, and create custom teams from inside your control panel. 

Pros

• A trusted brand name
• Thousands of servers around the world
• Single sign-on (SSO) functionality
• Strong on security
• Apps on all devices
• Fast speeds
• Cryptocurrencies and cash accepted

Cons

• Slow app and server connections
• Open VPN connection is not user-friendly
• No split tunneling
• Shared IP addresses

3. ExpressVPN – Consumer Favorite, Best-in-Class 

• Pricing: $8.32 per mo. (annual), $12.95 (monthly)
• Number of servers: 3,000+
• Money back Guarantee: 30-day
• Support: 24/7 live chat
• Multi-device support: Yes

ExpressVPN doesn’t have a product strictly designed for businesses. They’re consumer-focused, which is great if you’re a sole proprietor or a remote, contract, or freelance worker on your own. Their apps are compatible with almost every device on the usual platforms; they also have apps for nontraditional platforms, including— Linux, Kindle Fire, Chromebook, and even Barnes and Noble’s Nook! 

Since they’re consumer-focused, their apps are user-friendly, easy to set up, and simple to maintain. They provide you with all of the standard encryption and security features you’d expect from a top-rated VPN provider. And, they also provide you with some unique features like split-tunneling or using their own DNS servers. 

Like NordVPN, they have a no-logging policy as their company is based in the British Virgin Islands. There’s no mandated government surveillance and no data retention laws. 

Pros

• Consumer-focused
• User-friendly and easy-to-use
• Apps available on all devices and platforms
• Strong reputation
• Top-rated security and encryption

Cons

• No VPN services for businesses
• More expensive than their competitors

4.  VyprVPN – The Best VPN for Speed

• Pricing: $2.50 per mo. (24 mo. plan), $3.75 per mo. (12 mo. plan), $12.95 per mo. (1 mo. plan).
• Number of servers: 700+
• Money-back Guarantee: 30-day
• Support: 24/7 response within 3 hrs
• Privacy: end-to-end
• Multi-device support: desktop and mobile

Owned by Golden Frog GmbH and incorporated in Switzerland, VyprVPN focuses on a few areas — speed, anti-censorship, and privacy. They call their service the “most powerful VPN.” They offer more than 200,000 IP addresses and 700+ servers, across 70 locations internationally. 

Their platform resolves speed issues due to ISP bandwidth throttling. It’s common for users to state that their speeds are close to 100% of their original speeds. This is impressive when you realize that they rely on AES 256-bit encryption. They provide users with unlimited switching between servers and protocols without restrictions. 

VyprVPN provides some of the same features listed from other providers — kill switch, public Wi-Fi protection, and DNS protection. But they also offer a proprietary technology called Chameleon. In this protocol, VyprVPN scrambles your metadata, so it’s not recognizable via deep packet inspection, but it’s still fast and lightweight. As a result, VyperVPN can bypass restrictions from governments, corporations, and ISPs while fighting censorship and maintaining speed. 

VyprVPN also owns and operates their data centers to reduce any risk of a data breach. Other VPN providers route traffic to third-party servers, so they’re not as secure as a service that keeps things in-house. VyprDNS keeps your browsing history private. Their no-logs policy makes a breach unlikely. 

Pros

• Unlimited high-speed bandwidth
• 70+ server locations
• Chameleon protocol
• 5 Simultaneous connections
• No activity or usage logs
• Fast customer support
• VyprDNS
• Self-owned servers

Cons

• Fewer servers than bigger competitors
• Poor speeds in specific regions (EU)
• Slower connection times in specific regions

5. Surfshark – The Best for the Price

• Pricing: $1.99 per mo. (24 mo.), $5.99 per mo. (12 mo.), $11.95 per mo. 
• Number of servers: 1,700+
• Money-back Guarantee: 30-day
• Support: 24/7 live chat, email tickets
• Multi-device support: Desktop and mobile platforms

Surfshark is an award winning VPN service that offers incredible value for the price. According to VPNMentor.com, SurfShark is ranked 4th out of 357 VPN services. Their service provides users with 256-bit encryption, double VPN, an automatic kill switch, and a no-log policy. 

They’re headquartered in the British Virgin Islands, so like other VPNs in our list, they’re free from the five, nine, fourteen eyes alliances. While they don’t collect usage or connection data, they do collect your email address, password, and basic billing information. If you’d like to avoid sharing this info, you can use cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. They also collect unique advertising identifiers from third parties for marketing purposes and user analytics.

One detail that stands out with Surfshark is unlimited connections. The number of devices that can connect simultaneously, per license is unlimited. This is great if you’re an individual, but it’s also great if you’re running a business. There are no additional licenses or requirements once you’ve signed up. Just set your VPN up, pay for the service, and you’re all set. 

Surfshark offers its Adblock VPN that blocks advertising and malware, counters phishing attempts, and boosts browsing speed. They offer premium features like private DNS on each server, camouflage mode to mask activity from your ISP, and Multihop – connecting via multiple countries at the same time to maximize footprint masking and ID protection. 

Pros

• Best value for the price
• Unlimited connections/devices
• Built-in ad-blocker
• Whitelister
• Private DNS
• Double VPN
• No logging
• Engaged customer support

Cons

• Medium-sized network
• Moderately reduced speeds in specific regions

6. Mullvad – The Best for Anonymity

• Pricing: $5.50 per mo.
• Number of servers: 315+
• Money-back Guarantee: 30-day
• Support: Email

Mullvad believes privacy is a universal right.

Privacy isn’t the same as security. If you’re looking for a VPN service that will go to extreme lengths to protect your privacy,  Sweden-based Mullvad is at the top of the list. They don’t require an email address or even a password from their customers. The company randomly generates a unique code for your username. You use this code to log in to the desktop apps or add credit to your account. They even allow customers to send cash in the mail to pay for your account!

They want to know as little about you as possible.

Mullvad will store your account number, your counts, paid time remaining, and the number of simultaneous connections that are used by your account. This data is kept in temporary memory, then purged once you log off. They log the total number of current connections for a given server, the bandwidth used per server, and the CPU load per core on each server. None of these items contain personally identifiable information.

Mullvad only offers connections in 38 countries, and they only have 315 servers. They don’t use virtual servers, so your VPN connections are running on physical hardware at the location specified. The speed varies based on your location. If you’re in Europe or North America, speeds are generally good. If you’re in Australia or Asia, the performance is generally much slower.

Pros

• Privacy-focused
• Simple and user-friendly
• WireGuard support
• More anonymity than most VPN services
• No affiliates or resellers

Cons

• Focused exclusively on privacy
• Slower speeds in certain locations
• No password protection

7. TunnelBear – The Best for Newbies

• Pricing: Free, $3.33 per mo., $5.75 per user, per mo. for teams 
• Number of servers: 20
• Money-back Guarantee: 30-day
• Support: 24/7 email support tickets
• Multi-device support: Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android

TunnelBear’s service is designed to be incredibly simple for newbies.

They’re based out of Canada, which is a member of the five eyes, nine eyes, and fourteen eyes alliances. This means data that goes through or is stored in Canada is subject to intelligence agreements —they may be legally forced to share your data. TunnelBear states that they have a no-logging policy, so everything seems okay until you read this in their privacy policy. 

“TunnelBear makes good faith efforts to provide you with the ability to delete your Personal Data. However, there may be circumstances in which TunnelBear is unable to delete all your Personal Data. For example, we are unable to delete it where we are legally required to keep it, including where we need it to continue to offer you the service or if you are involved in litigation with us, we would be required to retain your personal data, which is limited to the fields we discuss above in 1.2, 1.3 and 1.4.”

This data includes your email address, twitter id, paid user designation, operational data, and personal and financial data. If this isn’t a concern for you or your organization, TunnelBear is a great option for individuals and businesses that want to get started with a VPN but aren’t as knowledgeable as they’d like. 

TunnelBear includes the standard features you need to get started with a VPN — AES 256-bit encryption, tunneling (Android only), hashing, and more. Their service is reasonably priced and designed to help inexperienced people get started with a VPN. 

TunnelBear is transparent about its service, sharing the results of its independent security audits each year on its website. 

Pros

• Designed for inexperienced users
• Generally open and transparent about their service
• Low cost
• Built for individuals and teams
• Offers a free plan

Cons

• May share your data with governments
• No phone or customer support

Conclusion

Whether you’re a freelancer, an entrepreneur with a small team, or a growing business looking for options, a VPN will provide you with the security and peace of mind you need to keep your remote team connected and working safely. 

Your needs are unique, and they’ll dictate which VPN service will work best for you and your business. Weigh the options against your needs for speed, security, privacy, compatible devices and number of connects. Millions of people are working remotely, and that number continues to grow every day. If you’re not already using a VPN service, now’s a good time to start. 

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How to Choose The Right SEO Agency

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Today, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of SEO agencies out there. 

And each one of them is good for something. 

Thus, your question shouldn’t be, how do I find the right SEO agency, but how do I choose an SEO agency that’s right for me?

I’m glad you made it here, as I’ll guide you through how to avoid choosing an SEO agency that’s right for something not relevant to growing your business. 

Deal? 

Well, then, keep reading. 

First things first, why do you need an SEO agency?

Know Your Goals and Desired Outcomes

Imagine you hurriedly booked a last-minute flight from New York to meet some business partners. Thankfully, the airplane you boarded flew fast with no delays. 

And you land safely at the airport.

On arrival, the announcer congratulates you for a safe journey and welcomes you to Beverly Hills in Texas. Meanwhile, your intended destination was Beverly Hills in California. 

You’ll regret the waste of your time, right?

Hiring SEO agencies is like boarding that airplane – each one could be great at flying your site’s organic ranking somewhere. Your first job before you start flying, therefore, is to ensure you choose and are on the right plane. 

Thus, to choose and onboard an SEO agency that’s right for you, you must:

• Know your business destination (your goals), and 
• What you want to achieve when you get there (your desired outcomes).

In SEO, where you’re going requires a different airplane (or agency). The main ones being: 

• SEO-optimized content marketing
• Voice SEO
• Link building,
• Local SEO, and 
• eCommerce SEO

And for outcomes? 

You may need to:

• Rank your entire website or specific keywords higher
• Get more qualified traffic and leads, or
• Drive sales directly from organic search. 

Your target business goals and outcomes determine what SEO strategies and tactics you’ll need. 

And because no SEO agency is a one-size-fits-all for all strategies, industry verticals, and company sizes, knowing these basics lays the foundation for who you’ll partner with. 

Let’s take some hypothetical examples. 

Example #1 

Pretend that your goal is to show up on Google’s 1st page when certain people use certain words to search for certain information relevant to your business. 

And the outcome? 

You want to attract this set of people, educate them with engaging content, and pull them into your sales funnels. 

In this case, you’ll need an agency with expertise in SEO-optimized content marketing. And you’ll need one with proven results in helping other companies achieve similar results: 

Example #2

Okay, let’s assume you have freelancers creating excellent content pieces for your site. But you realize Google isn’t ranking them for your target keywords. 

Instead, when people search, content pieces below the quality of what you’re creating keep showing up on the top pages while yours languishes on Google’s 17th page. 

This situation indicates your competitors probably have higher domain authorities or more backlinks pointing to their website and high-ranking content pieces. 

In this case, to increase your website’s domain authority, get relevant links pointing to your content, and boost ranking, you’ll need an SEO agency with expertise in link-building: 

As you saw in both examples above, it’s easier to know what type of SEO agency is worth considering when you’re definite about your goals and outcomes. 

Taking this first step to look at yourself in the mirror and know exactly what you need streamlines the selection process. 

It also ensures you only shortlist agencies with expertise and experience driving other businesses to your intended destination. 

But, it doesn’t end there. 

Even with only a few dozen agencies to consider, choosing one that’s right for you still demands you look out for characteristics that prove they walk the talk.

Doing this further helps you vet and choose an SEO agency that’s perfect for you.

6 Characteristics That Make a Great SEO Agency

Regardless of the specific SEO needs you have, you’ll still find dozens, if not hundreds of agencies, vying for your business. 

The search engine optimization service providers’ industry is valued over $65 billion. 

Thus, expect anyone with a laptop and internet access to make wild claims of being an SEO agency, as they yearn for a slice of the industry’s billions. 

There are characteristics great SEO agencies possess. And you’ll find these traits in all the best SEO companies.

I’ll list the fundamental ones below. 

Use them to vet an SEO agency from the list you shortlist before choosing to work with any.  

1. A Defined Process to Execute SEO Strategies

Excellent SEO execution follows a battle-tested process. 

As an SEO agency gains experience working with numerous clients, they outline their winning process to give potential customers a peek into how they deliver results. 

Thus, each company with practical SEO experience has its own process. And this makes it a characteristic of SEO agencies with proven results. 

For example, at Neil Patel Digital, our process follows eight unique steps: 

2. A Diverse Team of Specialists

The next characteristic to look out for before choosing an SEO agency is the team to put their process and recommendations to work. 

A lot of thought goes into SEO execution. 

From strategic ideation and leadership to account management and execution specialists, ask for the team who’ll work with you to achieve your goals. 

Again, experienced SEO agencies are proud to make their team public: 

3. An Impressive Client Portfolio

Results-generating SEO strategies are hard to manage from ideation to execution, but they also take time and commitment. 

Thus, as exceptional SEO agencies work with clients to achieve results, displaying their clientele has become a common characteristic. 

Doing this does two things. 

It shows you they’re experienced. And it helps your decision to choose, using the type of companies they’ve worked with as a benchmark: 

4. Real Customer Testimonials

If an SEO agency helped increase your website traffic, leading to more sales, you’d be open to giving them a testimonial, right?

In the same vein, when choosing an SEO agency, scan their website for what past customers say about them. 

A common characteristic you’ll find with the best SEO agencies is the proud display of what happy customers say about their service: 

5. Industry-specific Thought Leadership

Exceptional SEO agencies are always on the forefront of the latest trends, especially how it impacts rankings, traffic, and business in general. 

In most cases, you’ll find a top executive of the company sharing insights via blogs, social media, and research papers, which makes them maintain thought-leadership.

So, before you hire an SEO agency, check if they’re up to date and share recent trends about the SEO industry that help you keep pace with the market: 

6. A Crisp-clear Company Culture

An SEO company may have the unique expertise you seek and all the characteristics listed above. Yet, their company culture may not fit with yours.

The truth is, exceptional SEO agencies don’t take on toxic clients; neither would you like to work with people whose values you don’t agree with.  

To avoid this, top SEO companies have the characteristic of displaying their company culture, so potential customers can decide if working with them aligns with their culture:

How to Work With an SEO Agency

Most SEO agencies work as an extension of your in-house marketing team. 

Thus, there are steps to working with an SEO agency that’s right for you. These steps are essential, as they ensure your collaboration with them is successful.  

Let’s explore the major ones.

1. Prepare your in-house, front-facing team

Before you work with an SEO agency, get relevant teams in your company on the same page. Let them know why your company needs to hire SEO professionals and how working with them will impact your business. 

Also, select those who’ll work directly with the SEO agency to drive the results you seek. The people you choose would help to bridge the communication gap between your company and the agency.

Doing this ensures that there’s always someone to keep the SEO agency in sync with your company culture, goals for working with them, expectations, and timeline. 

2. Discovery session

Working with an SEO agency could be to rank higher for target keywords, generate more traffic, drive sales, or all three. 

But, no business case and needs are precisely the same. And SEO strategies that worked for company A may not work for yours. 

Thus, take the time to share everything about your business as it concerns SEO with an agency you choose to work with. Doing this helps them develop custom strategies and plans unique to achieving your goals. 

Exceptional SEO companies allow you to share this information with them via a discovery session: 

3. Research and Recommendations

After you share your business situation, needs, and goals with an SEO company, be on the lookout for what they do next. 

Top SEO agencies don’t jump into sending you quotes and invoices. 

They delve into research, using what you shared with them to gain the right context about your business situation. Doing this brings them on the same page with your company, target audience, business goals, and competition.

After this research, they usually share recommendations of what needs to be done to get maximum results. They can send this recommendation via a report sent over email or talk you through it over a phone call.

4. Contract with Deliverables

After your discovery call and follow-up conversations, expect to receive a contract with deliverables from an SEO agency, if working with you looks like a good fit.

It’s best to share this contract with relevant members on your team, especially those working directly with the agency. Ensure to go down to the nitty-gritty of the contract’s terms and conditions. 

Also, share it with your legal department to avoid signing an agreement that hurts or binds your company in the future. 

5. Onboarding, Project Scoping, and Management

To work with you, an SEO company would request access to some of your digital assets. 

Depending on your work scope, such access could include your website or blog passwords, your analytics tools login codes, selected in-house staff, etc. 

To kickstart a working relationship with your company, SEO agencies usually take you through a detailed onboarding process. 

So, you should expect one. 

Over this onboarding session, the scope of your project, delivery timelines, communication channels, and an understanding of how both parties manage your project is defined and communicated. 

How to Find The Right SEO Agency For You

So far, I’ve outlined the characteristics of exceptional SEO agencies and walked you through some fundamentals steps to working with one. 

But, as I established at the beginning of this guide, you don’t just need the right SEO agency, you need an SEO agency that’s right for you. 

How do you find one?

To help you, we put together a list of companies that we believe to be the best in the business.

Also, we skipped SEO agencies who can’t even rank their site organically. Finally, we looked away from digital marketing generalists who do everything under the sun for a quick buck.

The result?

What follows is our vetted list of the five best SEO companies of 2020 by the types of projects they’re exceptional at working on.

The 5 Top SEO Agencies

1. Neil Patel Digital – Best For SEO-optimized Content Marketing

At Neil Patel Digital, we’re great at SEO-optimized content marketing.

Our team of highly experienced SEO experts and content marketers brings decades of hands-on experience to the table. We believe brands can influence how their customers think through the creation of distribution of thoughtful, engaging content. 

And we put this belief to work by partnering with forward-thinking companies to develop SEO-focused content, performance-based digital marketing strategies and programs that get the attention it deserves. 

When you work with us, you’ll deliver content the right types of content to your target audience at the right time:

2. Voice SEO – Best For Voice Search

Voice SEO started as a small team of SEO experts. Initially, they focused on using their SEO skills to help businesses like them to grow online. 

Through dedication and close observation of the ever-changing SEO industry, Voice SEO realized the growing use of devices such as Alexa, Siri, and Google Echo, to query search engines. 

Seeing that 50% of all online searches in 2020 would be voice-based, a statistic in the upward trend, Voice SEO followed the highest standards in SEO to narrow its focus on helping companies with voice search engine optimization: 

3. ReachLocal- Best For Local SEO

When it comes to executing best-in-class local SEO strategies, ReachLocal needs no introduction. 

This SEO agency is responsible for generating over 201 million local leads for more than 19,000 clients across the globe. 

Not only are they the go-to company for practical and strategic local SEO executions, but ReachLocal’s experience also spans over 15 years, and they have offices in five continents:

4. FATJOE – Best For Backlinks Acquisition

FATJOE comes highly recommended for acquiring backlinks for SEO. Turn to this SEO agency if you need help generating high-value backlinks. 

And you can do this with the assurance that even other SEO agencies rely on them for the same. 

FATJOE was founded in 2012. Today, they’ve grown to become one of the world’s biggest outsourced link building agencies, and they serve more than 5,000 clients:

5. OuterBox – Best For eCommerce SEO

OuterBox is our pick for eCommerce SEO. 

They’re an SEO and performance marketing company focused on helping eCommerce brands drive growth through search strategy, design, and conversion rate optimization. 

Irrespective of which eCommerce platform your business is built on—Magento, WooCommerce, Shopify, Drupal, or others; OuterBox’s eCommerce search engine optimization strategies and tactics are effective and reliable: 

Conclusion: Be Patient with Your Chosen SEO Agency

Choosing and partnering with an SEO agency, even one that’s perfect for you, isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme. 

It takes time before you’ll start seeing results. 

However, it is worth the wait because once things kick-off, SEO is like a flywheel that gets better by the day and works like a vicious cycle: 

So be patient. 

Only ensure you choose an SEO agency that’s right for you. And most notably, one with a diverse team of experienced experts who breathe SEO:

Google

Best POS Systems

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Some years ago, POS systems were a luxury reserved for only big enterprise businesses. 

Thankfully, not anymore. 

Today, there’s an abundance of options to go round for companies of all sizes. But, with too many options came a new challenge: Choosing the best POS system that’s right for your business is now an uphill battle. 

It’s why we created this guide to help you make a better and more effective decision. 

Our team has done the heavy lifting of reviewing dozens of POS systems in the market. We’ve also done the pricing, features, and critical support comparisons to determine what POS system is best for what. 

So, irrespective of your small business type – retail, restaurant, franchise, online store, etc., you’ll find the best POS system that’s right for your company below. 

The Top 5 POS Systems For Small Business Owners

1. Square POS (our overall best)
2. Shopify POS (best for ecommerce retail integrations)
3. Vend POS (best for multiple fashion, sports, or homeware stores)
4. Toast POS (best for restaurants and food businesses)
5. ERPLY POS (best for small franchises)

How to Choose The Best POS System for Your Business

To choose a POS system, start by considering what your business needs are – accept payments, process sales, track inventory, CRM integration, manage employees, etc. 

What’s best for you depends on your needs.

In our analysis, we looked at everything from pricing, applicable features to the security of each system, and ease of use. Next, we picked the best POS system best suited for different small businesses with one to 50 outlets. 

We’re only recommending POS systems with hardware and software capabilities that will impact your business operations and help you maximize profit. 

And for this, key things you should look out for when choosing a POS system are: 

Pricing

Complete POS systems come with hardware, software, and payment processing. These are the ones we recommend because you won’t have to buy different parts. The cost for these all-inclusive POS systems is anywhere from $30 for basic plans to $150+ per month for advanced plans. Apart from this monthly cost, most charge fees upwards of 2% (plus some cents) per transaction. 

Most POS systems have customized plans if your annual sales volume exceeds $250,000 or if you have to install them on multiple locations. To take advantage of these discounts, contact the sales department before buying, as it could save you some money in the long run. 

Ease of Use

If you buy a POS system that’s difficult to use, it defeats the purpose of having one. Having said that, the easiest to use POS systems have intuitive designs and run on technology most people already use. These include iPads or Android tablet devices. 

Regardless, before you buy a POS system, sign up for a demo and take it for a test drive. This way, you can determine firsthand if it’s easy enough for you or your employees to use.  

Reporting

You’ll find all POS systems talk about their reporting capabilities. But, some are basic with limited customization and only a handful of reports. 

On the other hand, others come with tens of advanced and pre-configured reporting filters. The best POS systems offer real-time reports, and you can access them on the go through an app on your mobile device or a browser. 

Some core reporting capabilities to look out for are your sales, customers, inventory, and employees’ data. Ensure a POS system offers the reports you need to keep track of relevant business activities. 

Employee Management

On most POS systems, you can add employees and give them access to settings, essential sales information, or features. Again, it depends on what your needs are. 

Some POS systems allow you to assign role-based permissions to employees, while on others, you can customize different controls for specific employees. 

On advanced ones, you can monitor when employees clock in and out, track each employee’s sales, and manage tips. So, before you buy a POS system, decide what employee information you need to track.

Customer Management

The first question to ask is, what depth of customer information do I need? Or, what customer details do I need to deliver exceptional customer service? 

It’s best to start with those questions because POS systems offer varying levels of customer management capabilities. With some, you can capture basic info like email addresses to send email marketing campaigns. 

Others come with a suite of customer relationship management (CRM) features that allow you to create complete customer profiles, track purchase histories, collect contact information, append notes, etc. Choose a POS system that allows you to capture the depth of customer information you need. 

Inventory Management

Basic POS systems will only allow you to manage your catalog inventory. With advanced ones, you can track components, manage vendors, or purchase orders. 

It all depends on your needs, so decide if you need basic or advanced inventory management capabilities (and if the POS offers them) before you buy.

Add-ons/Integrations

Most POS systems offer add-ons and integrations, depending on the monthly plan you’re purchasing. On some, you can get these add-ons for an extra fee. Some popular add-ons are gift cards, loyalty programs, reservation systems, or advanced reports. 

For integrations, the best POS systems allow you to connect them with relevant business applications like email marketing, accounting, or payroll software. When choosing a POS system, take some time to decide if paying a higher monthly plan that gives you access to add-ons and integrations is more cost-effective than paying extra fees. And, of course, only make this decision after you’ve considered your business needs.  

The Different Types of POS Systems

POS apps, mobile POS systems, open-source systems, multichannel systems, touchscreen POS systems, self-serve POS systems, and cloud-based POS systems are the different types of POS systems. Among these types, there are various brands to choose from. 

In this guide, you’ll find reviews of cloud-based POS systems, as they’re the most flexible for small businesses and offer a full feature set. On cloud POS systems, transactions happen in-person at your various outlets, while payment processing occurs on the cloud. 

These systems connect with Wi-Fi networks, allowing your data from even multiple sales outlets to aggregate and sync automatically to the cloud. 

Thus, with cloud-based POS systems, you can access reports, real-time sales data, and other information generated from its use on the go. 

The best cloud-based POS systems for small businesses are what follows. 

1. Square POS Review – Our Overall Best Small Business POS System

Since our team started reviewing the best POS systems on the market, I’ve come across Square POS systems at multiple locations where I do my in-person shopping. 

And that’s for a reason. 

Among small businesses of all types, Square is fast becoming the overwhelming choice. This system’s software flexibility allows business owners to start using it to accept payments with their existing devices. 

With Square, you can turn the devices you currently use into a POS system in less than an hour. 

And you can do this without buying any hardware. But, if you need to purchase Square’s hardware, there’s still flexibility, as you have options to choose from: 

• Square Terminal
• Square Register
• Square Reader for magstripe
• Square Standup for chip & contactless
• Square Reader for chip payments & contactless

If you run a location-based business like a boutique clothing store or coffee shop, Square’s register and standup terminal are the best options. The Square Reader of magstripe gives you the option of turning your phone into a POS system to accept payments on the go. 

Square’s POS system also handles credit card processing effortlessly. Thus, you don’t need third-party integrations to accept or process payments. 

Regardless of your business type, the versatility of Square POS system makes it the popular choice for most small businesses. Besides, Square’s pricing is straightforward and transparent. 

Square’s free iPad POS is free to use, only charging you 2.6% + $0.10 per transaction. And this is your only cost, regardless of how many sales you process. For larger businesses, pricing starts at $60/month plus the transaction fee. 

There are no hidden charges whatsoever with Square. 

If your business processes over $250,000 per annum and your average order size exceeds $15, you can request a custom solution from Square. 

Other pros you get with the Square POS system are robust reporting, real-time analytics, and 24/7 customer support. You can also view, manage, update, and track your inventory with Square. 

With the Square POS system, you can create and manage your customers’ profiles more effectively from one dashboard. 

Square has a few cons. 

For non-card transactions, they charge 2.75% and some features needed by mid-sized businesses cost a little more. Finally, this system’s security protocols, which protect against fraudulent payments, place accounts on hold for large volume transactions. 

After reviewing dozens of the best POS systems, Square is our overall best today. 

Square comes highly recommended for small business owners of all types and even mid-sized and large businesses. 

2. Shopify POS Review – The Best For eCommerce Retail Integrations

Popularly known as an ecommerce company, Shopify also offers a retail POS system with excellent ecommerce integrations. 

If you already run a Shopify store or plan to expand your retail business online, Shopify’s POS system is a great option.  

With Shopify’s POS system, you get a branded online store and can sell through online channels, including eBay, Instagram, and Amazon. Whether in-store or across these online channels, the Shopify POS system lets you manage your sales in one place. 

It’s much easier that way, as you won’t need to invest in separate solutions.

Sales, employee, and inventory management are some of the core features you get with the Shopify POS system. In short, the system updates your in-store and online inventory in real-time. Added to this, it comes with exceptional sales analytics with the option to offer discount codes. 

Need to manage your business on the go? No problem. Shopify’s POS system comes with a mobile app.

The robust in-store and online integration available with the Shopify POS system gives your customers a seamless checkout experience. And the convenience to replace or return a purchased item in your local store.

The system comes as a free inclusion in your Shopify monthly plans, which starts at $29 $29/month for the basic plan. 

Unfortunately, this base plan doesn’t give you advanced reports and other needed features like in-store payments. You’ll need the $79/month plan to process in-store payments at 1-5 locations or the $299/month plan for up to eight locations. 

Per in-person transactions, charges are 2.7%, 2.5%, and 2.4% for the three plans, respectively. 

On all plans, you get a 14-day free trial and 24/7 live support via phone, email, or live chat. The system’s easy setup is another you’ll love about Shopify POS.

Shopify POS isn’t for you if you have dozens of in-store locations. Other cons include the system’s exclusive focus on ecommerce and retail and the extra charges you must pay if you’re not using Shopify’s payment processors.

However, if you’re already selling online with Shopify or want an easy setup for a few retail locations, Shopify POS is a no-brainer. 

We recommend Shopify POS if you want to launch a new ecommerce store or in the market for a new POS system. 

3. Vend POS Review – The Best For Multi Fashion, Sports, or Homeware Stores

You can personalize the Ven POS system to suit your unique needs. It’s also a perfect solution if you have multiple physical stores. 

Vend is among the best iPad POS systems currently on the market. You can also use it on your PC and Mac. Vend POS system offers data entry options, using mouse, touchscreen, or keyboard. 

It integrates seamlessly with a wide range of third-party applications, giving you access to loads of additional features. For instance, you can connect third-party payment processors offered by PayPal, Square POS, Shopify POS, and others. 

Vend’s ecommerce integrations make it super easy to sell across your physical store, mobile, and digital channels. Its robust sales analytics, inventory, and customer profiles management capabilities are excellent. Additionally, you can process split and contactless transactions and gift cards. 

Regardless of the platform you run Vend on, you get a cross-platform consistency that looks the same. However, the Vend POS system doesn’t come with any hardware, but it makes up for this with its software simplicity and extensive integration options. 

Pricing for Vend’s POS system starts at $99/month when paid annually for the Lite plan with a monthly turnover limit of $20,000. The Pro plan is $129/month if you pay yearly. 

All plans come with one register. If you want additional registers, it costs $49 per month. Large retailers can request an Enterprise plan, which comes with a dedicated account officer. 

Vend POS’s biggest con is its slow processing speed. Others are that you can only use Google Chrome to run this system, and it’s not suited for food trucks, bars, or restaurant businesses.

However, we recommend the Vend POS system if you have multiple retail outlets such as fashion boutiques, sports, homeware, or outdoor stores, or the likes and need a solution with extensive integration options. 

4. Toast POS Review — The Best For Restaurant and Food Businesses

The brains behind the Toast POS system built the platform with food and beverage vendors and their customers in mind. So, if you own a restaurant, bar, or food truck business, Toast POS has features tailored to your needs. 

The system’s integrated CRM software builds an inventory of your loyal customers. It also allows you to craft messages and run automatic promotions that keep customers happy so that you can score a backlog of customers returning to your food business.

Toast POS is one of the few systems with excellent Android capabilities. 

And this is more suited to restaurants due to the affordability and flexibility of the Android infrastructure, which has faster software updates than the iPad.

Whether you’re a full-service or quick-service food business, the Toast POS system works well for both. You even have options to customize the system for large food chains, pizzerias, or bars.

As a Toast user, you can access its community of like-minded business owners to get or share best practices in your industry.

Overall, Toast POS gives you a holistic restaurant management system, complete with back-office and front-end processes. It enhances staff productivity, improves customer service via its food-focused CRM features, which also comes with detailed analytics and sales reports.  

You can easily customize or split menu items and bills among your customers. Taking orders on the fly or sending alerts to customers when their orders are ready are some mouth-watering pros. This makes The Toast POS system a no-brainer for food businesses. 

Pricing for the Toast POS system starts at $69/month per terminal, with no trials. It’s hardware prices starts at $999, and there’s no financing option available. Toast POS has a flat processing fee, and there are no hidden fees.  

A drawback of the Toast POS system is that it is currently only available for Android users. But, this isn’t a problem, considering Android devices are cheaper than iPads. 

Toast POS system is the overwhelming recommendation if you own a food or restaurant of any kind. Its features are tailor-made for such businesses. 

5. ERPLY POS Review – The Best For Small Franchises

ERPLY POS system is the go-to platform if you own a franchise business. It runs well on Android and iPad tablets and is also accessible on other devices via a browser. 

ERPLY POS is one of the few cloud-hybrid systems that is hardware agnostic, and this makes it a favorite for small and large franchise retailers. This robust build allows you to centralize your inventory across stores and manage employees by giving them varying access to the platform. 

You get CRM tools and the ability to handle sensitive data with the ERPLY POS system. Besides this, you have other strong franchise-specific features like sales tracking, barcode scanners, and full-scale inventory management across all plans. 

Pricing for the ERPLY POS system starts at $39, but you don’t get inventory controls on this basic plan. If you want that, consider its higher-tier plans, which are upwards of $69. 

A known con of the ERPLY POS system is that it is tricky to master. Secondly, there’s limited customer support. 

However, ERPLY’s versatile interface and free trial, which allows you to take it for a spin, are strong reasons to consider this POS system. And if you own a franchise business, it comes highly recommended due to its features explicitly designed for such retailers.  

Conclusion

The best POS system is subjective. Different business types have different needs, and a POS system that works for one business may not work well for your own. 

It’s best to understand your business needs first. 

We reviewed dozens of the top POS systems on the market to identify the ones most suited for the different types of small businesses. 

We’ve provided you with the best POS for retail, food, ecommerce, franchise, and fashion retail businesses. We also highlighted our recommended overall best. 

You won’t regret choosing from any of the above options. 

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