Tag Archives: various

4 Key Criteria For Selecting The Best ERP System

Companies in Sri Lanka are growing and evolving rapidly, and it is apparent that the systems in place to facilitate operations need to adapt accordingly. Enterprise Research Planning (ERP) software solutions integrate various functional areas and business processes, with the ultimate goal of enhancing operational efficiencies, boosting visibility of overall company performance and improving employee productivity.

Implementing an ERP system in any company in Sri Lanka requires considerable organizational resources and a careful planning and selection process. There are various ERP systems available in the market, and selecting the right one is no easy task. Here are four important aspects to consider when deciding the best ERP system for your company.

Is the ERP platform scalable and flexible?

Functional requirements change along the way in any organization, and you should be able to look beyond the standard features offered by the ERP system, and see if they can be customized to adapt to your business requirements down the line.

Is the ERP platform easy to use and contextualize?

No matter how excellent the ERP software and implementation is, success or failure of an ERP platform depends on how it is judged by the end users, who make use of the system to accomplish their roles. Therefore it is essential that the platform is easy to use and contextualize, which increases user productivity.

What do similar companies have to say?

Find out customer recommendations, testimonials or case studies from similar companies or organizations that use the same solution, so you can get an idea of the implementation process and how well the software works for other similar companies.

What about budget and costs?

Different ERP systems have different costs – and the highest priced is not necessarily the best for your company needs. Those that require advanced functionality can opt for higher priced systems, while those with less complex criteria can choose a moderately priced solution. It is important to remember that ERP systems that are implemented properly are an investment that will provide a return, so you should consider long-term implementation costs.

Finding a new ERP system for your company is a challenging task – but one that is worth the effort. If successfully done, your ERP system will open unlimited business opportunities for your company

Defining Keyword Research Tools

Keyword research is without a doubt, the single most important factor of any SEO campaign. Picking a good keyword phrase can mean the difference between generating hundreds of interested extra visitors per month and a wasted effort.

The first question on everyone’s mind is, just how do we know what a good keyword phrase is? That’s where the various keyword tools on the market come into play. The purpose of this short article is not to advertise the various keyword tools available, but to explain their purpose and functions and to give you some ideas and resources to enable you to determine the best keyword research tool for your needs.

What do Keyword Research Tools do?

Sounds like a rather silly question – they do keyword research! But let’s look more specifically into what information the tools generate:

– They build hundreds of keyword ideas around one source keyword
– They generate “long tail keywords” that are easier to get ranked for
– They show you the competition levels of each keyword phrase
– They show you monthly search volumes for each keyword phrase
– Some even tell you in pure English whether it’s a good choice or not

In short, they come up with more keyword suggestions you or I could ever think of, and give some kind of indication to how easy it will be to get ranked high in the search engines for those keywords and keyword phrases.

Note – all the keyword tools I have used require you to have a Google AdWords account (free), and uses that account to interface into the Google network to pull keyword information. The difference between the tools is what information is pulled and how it is presented to you.

Criteria for Choosing the Best Keyword Research Tool

Determining the best keyword research tool can differ person to person. For example, some people like things simple, some prefer more advanced options and granularity at the cost of a steeper learning curve. Here are several considerations I thought about when choosing a keyword tool:

– Cost – this is very dependent on the individual. There are hundreds of keyword tools to choose from and can cost from $0 to thousands per year! Generally speaking, the more mainstream keyword research tools are somewhere between $75 and $150.
– Ease of use – YouTube is your friend here! There are some very good video walkthroughs on all the major tools. Most vendors also offer a free trial period where you can test the tool out yourself before committing to a purchase.
– Effectiveness – both cost and ease of use are irrelevant if the tool does not work. Use Google to search for reviews on the various keyword tools you like the look of, find some step-by-step real world examples of the keyword tool in use.

Conclusion

When starting out in the SEO world, I used the free Google keyword suggestion tool. Indeed this tool is often better than some of the premium tools out there, and the information is pulled directly from Google (no middle man so to speak), so you can assume the information is as reliable as you can get.

I had relative success with the Google Keyword Tool, but the one downside to the Google tool is it still leaves a lot of guesswork. It wasn’t until I started using a premium keyword research tool that I started getting my articles on the front page of Google.

Defining Keyword Research Tools

Keyword research is without a doubt, the single most important factor of any SEO campaign. Picking a good keyword phrase can mean the difference between generating hundreds of interested extra visitors per month and a wasted effort.

The first question on everyone’s mind is, just how do we know what a good keyword phrase is? That’s where the various keyword tools on the market come into play. The purpose of this short article is not to advertise the various keyword tools available, but to explain their purpose and functions and to give you some ideas and resources to enable you to determine the best keyword research tool for your needs.

What do Keyword Research Tools do?

Sounds like a rather silly question – they do keyword research! But let’s look more specifically into what information the tools generate:

– They build hundreds of keyword ideas around one source keyword
– They generate “long tail keywords” that are easier to get ranked for
– They show you the competition levels of each keyword phrase
– They show you monthly search volumes for each keyword phrase
– Some even tell you in pure English whether it’s a good choice or not

In short, they come up with more keyword suggestions you or I could ever think of, and give some kind of indication to how easy it will be to get ranked high in the search engines for those keywords and keyword phrases.

Note – all the keyword tools I have used require you to have a Google AdWords account (free), and uses that account to interface into the Google network to pull keyword information. The difference between the tools is what information is pulled and how it is presented to you.

Criteria for Choosing the Best Keyword Research Tool

Determining the best keyword research tool can differ person to person. For example, some people like things simple, some prefer more advanced options and granularity at the cost of a steeper learning curve. Here are several considerations I thought about when choosing a keyword tool:

– Cost – this is very dependent on the individual. There are hundreds of keyword tools to choose from and can cost from $0 to thousands per year! Generally speaking, the more mainstream keyword research tools are somewhere between $75 and $150.
– Ease of use – YouTube is your friend here! There are some very good video walkthroughs on all the major tools. Most vendors also offer a free trial period where you can test the tool out yourself before committing to a purchase.
– Effectiveness – both cost and ease of use are irrelevant if the tool does not work. Use Google to search for reviews on the various keyword tools you like the look of, find some step-by-step real world examples of the keyword tool in use.

Conclusion

When starting out in the SEO world, I used the free Google keyword suggestion tool. Indeed this tool is often better than some of the premium tools out there, and the information is pulled directly from Google (no middle man so to speak), so you can assume the information is as reliable as you can get.

I had relative success with the Google Keyword Tool, but the one downside to the Google tool is it still leaves a lot of guesswork. It wasn’t until I started using a premium keyword research tool that I started getting my articles on the front page of Google.