Peak and Dale

New blog? New business venture? I presume that you have showcased it on a website because only then can you open up immense opportunities. Now onto the next course of action which of course is getting traffic to your site. Here are some key takeaways; Show up in search- consider search engine optimization (SEO). While at it, ensure that the keywords on your site are working for you hence maximizing site traffic. Remember earlier when we talked about the secure socket layer (SSL)? This also counts a lot for higher ranking. Great content- one ingenious way to use content to drive traffic is your blog. It not only helps in developing a relationship with your customer base. Social media- this helps drive traffic to your site by capturing new customers and keeping your current customers informed. Do not forget to include a link to your website in your bio sections across all your social media pages. At Peak and Dale, we’ve got your back all the way. Enquire about our SEO and social media management packages. call 0732216522.

  As the eyes are to one’s soul, so are websites to your business. A website is your business’ home through which you attract and retain your customers. That is why, a well-maintained website is critical because it can have a big impact on how the value of your product or service is perceived. But what does website maintenance entail? Regular website maintenance to attract and retain customers. Maintaining search engine rankings- Website maintenance is critical to search-engine rankings. This is a major function of search engine optimization. What you don’t know about SEO is that it isn’t just about building search-engine friendly websites. It’s about making your site better for people too. Websites with old content rank lower in search engine listings. Presenting new information, products and services on your site- Without proper site updates and maintenance, your content gets old, links get broken, images disappear, content gets old, and your rankings fall off the face of the search engines. Now, this being the season for love, as businesses who else do we love more than our clients? That is why your website should play an integral part in sharing this love with them. An updated site maintains the interest levels of your customers. It should be customer centered and kept relevant by routinely refreshing the content and ensuring that customer contact points are in good working order. Call 0732216522.

We are always telling you how important it is to have a website in this day and age. But we have not told you what you need in order to have your website up and running. First, you need to have a domain for example; example.com or example.co.ke. This is your unique online identity. When people search for your business, this is what they will be searching for. The next thing you need to have is hosting. Hosting in layman terms is the space on servers where you store your emails, and your website. Today I want to go deeper into the topic of domains, and what you need to know about it. For the domain, we have three parties involved; the registry, the registrar and the registrant. In our case, Kenic is our registry and it manages the registration of domain names within the domains for which it is responsible for, and controls the policies of domain name allocation We- Peak and Dale are the registrar as accredited by the registry- in this case, Kenic. We manage the reservation of domain names and also maintain the security and the structures that make the domain work. Still on the topic of domain registrars, you need to consider the kind of service you are receiving. Are you getting the service that you require from your domain registrar? Not all domain registrars are the same you know! You can shop around and get better prices, more features and far better customer service. Gone are the days that it didn’t matter what you thought of the process, the services and the prices because now, we have a thousand registrars whose services and prices vary greatly.If you feel dissatisfied by your service provider, you could transfer to another registrar. This step is amazingly easier than you would expect. Both parties- the current and prospective registrars play a role in the process; The current registrar will provide you an EPP (authorization) code. Once you have that, you then purchase domain transfer from the prospective registrar (let’s call it Peak and Dale) for now. Domain name transfers take 1-2 days to complete. What you need to know is that during transfer, you experience no downtime in your emails and website. Finally, you as the client, are the registrant. Which means that you are the owner of the domain name. Recognizing the mobility of your online presence is key to ensuring that you’re always partnering with a company who has your back. Time for smart choices this new year. Why settle for less when you can have the competitive, reliable and quality services of Peak and Dale? Look at this for more information.

I think all of us have experienced loss caused by road accidents haven’t we? During the December holidays especially, we witness rampant cases of accidents year in year out.According to a report released by NTSA, at least 90 people died within 72 hours this December alone,which is quite unfortunate. But do you know what the sad part about this is? Most of these accidents would have been avoided. If only someone had done the right thing at the right time and made the smart decision. I ask myself is it the lack of awareness? Or is it just plain arrogance? I have been in cars where drivers text,surf the net, take selfies or record videos while driving and this gets me so mad. A report posted in May 2013 by Road Safety Network Kenya indicates that 85% of all accidents are caused by human error. Human error includes drunk driving, overspeeding and recklessness. In my book, texting while driving falls under recklessness because then, you are distracted. It only takes the 5 seconds that you took to write the text, to lose control of the vehicle.These people like to justify themselves by, “I have been driving for so long and I have never had an accident.” Are you serious? Well guess what? There is always a first time for everything. Measures being taken to stop or at least reduce road accidents have borne no fruits. Between the hefty fines and disturbing PSAs no one seems shook enough. The road accident statistics prompted Audi and Swedish agency Åkestam Holst to create a safety campaign that takes a refreshingly direct route to reach those who choose to go online with one hand while steering with the other.Remember when we told you that things are looking up for the technology sector this year? Turns out it is going a step further to save our lives. The team developed a free snippet of computer code for website scripts. The Audi Safety Code, which any website can add, analyzes GPS data to determine if visitors are in vehicles traveling over 20 kilometers an hour, and blocks site access until users confirm they are passengers and not drivers. I really hope this gets implemented soon because personally, I am tired of hearing about all these accidents and we cannot lose any more people to them. check out the main article here. please be careful and take care of yourself. Have a safe 2018!

Happy New Year! I hope it is looking up for you so far, though I think it is less likely since it is Njaanuary for those who overindulged over the holiday-Am I right? Looking back however, what was your favorite crisis in 2017? I cannot even choose; we (Kenyans) experienced a number of challenges – political unrest, slow economic growth, job layoffs, inflation, high cost of living and an increase in road accidents among many. Fortunately this year, things might be looking up for the technology sector as forecasted by Peak and Dale Solutions CEO Brendah Mwirichia. She explains how in 2018, internet will become faster and cheaper seeing that Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO) has installed overhead fibre. She expresses how it will be interesting to see how this will be adopted in the new year. Brendah says that we should look forward to general availability of .ke top-level domain beginning January 18th, which in her words, is a huge milestone for the country because we will see more businesses using e-commerce and payment integration. She envisages the explosion of the mobile development space with more people embracing apps in various sectors. Finally, we should expect to see more Kenyans taking up cryptocurrency. For those wondering what this is, it is digital money that uses cryptography to secure its transactions like bitcoin. One downfall that she predicts however, is the challenges in security of data. Have a safe 2018 by securing your website with one of our SSL certificates https://www.peakanddale.com/portal/cart.php?gid=14 Read the full article https://www.theelephant.info/features/2018/01/03/kenyas-crystal-ball-for-2018-industry-leaders-predict-what-the-year-holds/

We are all business people right? In one way or another, we provide certain services or products. In that sense, I believe that we all know that it takes a lot to build a reputation and a customer base for your brand. It is sad that in the world that we live in right now, there are several factors that threaten the same brand. Globally, there have been rising cases of counterfeit sales, brand abuse, and online traffic diversion:  three areas where legitimate businesses see their brands, products and ultimately market share being undermined. It has become ideal for scammers to try and use good brands to divert and drive traffic to their website, thus threatening to substantially devalue your brand customer base with potentially counterfeit and grey market sales. Getting to where you are at is no mean feat, can you imagine other people riding on the sweat and effort that you have put in? It is therefore natural that many small, medium and large-sized companies are taking steps to secure their online presence. In the same move, it is important to secure your brand name by registering the .ke version of your domain name during the grandfathering period that KENIC, the domain registry in Kenya has given. The grandfathering phase ends on 22nd December 2017 after which, .ke domain registration will be open to the public. What this means? Basically, if I am a beans seller and I own beanseller.co.ke, any one of my competitors can open beanseller.ke if I do not secure it. This is an immense threat to my business because my online traffic will be diverted to their website hence lost sales and a tarnished brand image.

KENIC the domain registry in Kenya has introduced a grandfathering phase which is currently open and will run until 22nd Dec 2017. During this phase, existing third level domain owners (eg me.co.ke) will be able to register similar names on the second level (i.e me.ke). All applications should be accompanied by business registration certificates as proof of ownership.   This is an opportunity not to be missed. Secure your domain name now before anyone else gets it.   The price is KES 10,000 + VAT and the domains will be allocated at the end of the grandfathering period. Please send in the name of the matching domain name you would like to apply for together with the registration certificate to info @peakanddale.com. We shall then prepare your invoice and handle the process of registration.    

In this busy world, we have so many activities that we choose to engage in just to let go and relax our minds. I must admit my guilty pleasure is watching. I am a ‘watching junkie’- if there is such a thing. I watch a lot. From documentaries, movies, reality shows… name it. Mostly I find movies thought provoking. For example, recently I was watching a movie and one of the characters was holding a squeeze or a massage ball- however you prefer to call it. It caught my attention. I started thinking…why would I need a squeeze ball? Have you ever thought of it yourself? For entertaining purposes right? To keep yourself from boredom? Turns out this tiny thing could actually save you from some big trouble ahead. I went online and did some research and guess what I stumbled upon. Apparently, most of us who spend most of our time in the offices are exposed to a condition called Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. This is a condition whereby you feel numbness, tingling, weakness, and other problems in your hand because of pressure on a nerve in your wrist. It is caused by repetitive actions and it can affect your fingers, wrists, and hands. Reflect on this: We’re at our computers for hours at a time, typing. We hit the backspace or delete key numerous times, click countless time, and our fingers are hovering in one position continuously as we use the mouse. I found out that at its worst, CTS requires surgery (emphasis on SURGERY) to be corrected and has a 6 week recovery period. Can you imagine not working for that long? Yes, I can-Just kidding. Who will pay the bills?! You need to take preventive measures, by exercising your hands after every hour or so. Stretch your arms, flex your fingers and rotate your wrists. If possible, get a squeeze ball or a similar hand exercise item at your desk and use it whenever you’re thinking. www.freewebsite.co.ke/