Used equipment is an attractive prospect. Less money, already broken in and (hopefully) no issues to speak of.

Not so fast. Before you commit to buying any used equipment, it’s essential you’re aware of the risks.

Are there benefits from buying used equipment?

Buying second-hand certainly has its upsides.

For example, if you’re starting and need a solution fast but don’t want to put up the capital to buy a brand new piece of machinery, second-hand can be a solid long term solution. But buying used equipment requires more than just a good reason. You need to become a detective to ensure that it’s not compromised. That can be both fun and exhausting. So what exactly should you be checking for when thinking about investing in used equipment?

Here are 6 things to check:

1. Check your used equipment supplier’s credentials

First question: who are you buying from? Is it an old mate down the road, or his mate? You need to be sure you’re getting into business with a trusted and reliable partner. Whether you’re financing it or buying outright – this is a key consideration from the buyer’s side. Companies like Vermeer WA & NT are well known and have a track record of supplying well-kept used equipment. Be sure you’re not getting into trouble by buying from a sketchy supplier.

2. Do a once-over

This should be your first port of call: to carry out a thorough visual inspection of the overall bodywork, frame, tracks or wheels, as well as the engine.

This should be the first and most time-consuming part. If done right, you should get a thorough understanding of the equipment’s

• Overall condition
• Engine quality
• Fluid levels
• Safety issues
• Potential need for repairs

If you notice anything fundamentally wrong with the machinery, this should be an immediate red flag. Speak to the sales rep and clarify before moving on to any other inspections.

3. Check the hydraulics

Hydraulics are fundamental to machinery’s ability to perform its core functions. Second-hand equipment can often have compromised hydraulics, not to mention more complex repair procedures. Due to wear and tear in the hydraulics systems, you could be facing hefty repair charges soon after purchase – in some cases this unpredictable cost can make buying new more attractive. If you’re not familiar with the ins and outs of hydraulic systems – it’s worth bringing an expert along with you. They can help you understand what’s at stake.

4. Check the cabin or interior (if it has one)

No matter whether you’re the operator or you’re buying for an employee, the cabin is where someone is going to have to spend many long hours of work. A second-hand cabin can also be riddled with issues from missing parts, torn seats, or even safety concerns with the rollover protective structure (ROPS). Ensuring these safety aspects are fully in working order is essential to maintain stringent work, health and safety standards.

5. Check the hour metre

Used equipment is, after all, well-used. But by how much should be the question on your lips as you check the hour metre. The hour metre can be found on most heavy machinery within the cabin or on the control panel, or elsewhere on the bodywork of the machine.

It should be (amongst other things) eligible and tell you exactly how many hours the piece of equipment has been actively used. You can tell if it’s been tampered with or replaced as it won’t match the original level of wear and tear of the machine, and you can probably spot a false reading a mile away.

6. Do a noise check

Before you make any decision about the machine in question, turn it on and listen. Often a machine will give away its issues with a simple grunt or grumble. Depending on the equipment, you may find that the engine gives off certain strange sounds like:

• Engine making coughing noises
• Grinding or grating sound as you manoeuvre or turn parts of the vehicle
• Squeaking sounds from the engine
• Other unusual sounds that might indicate a lack of lubrication

Any abnormal engine warbles should be taken seriously and when coupled with black smoke you know there’s a major issue at play.

How to choose the right used equipment suppliers

When it comes to making your final decision, it will eventually come down to several factors. Remember that the supplier you choose to go with plays the biggest role in determining whether the equipment is up to scratch or not.

Equipment suppliers like Vermeer WA & NT are well trusted in the industry for providing high-quality equipment, both used and new, to power the infrastructure and mining projects of the future. Whether you’re in the market for new or used machinery, reach out to your local supplier and get a quote today.

 

Are you in the early stages of a business? Have you had your own business for many years? It doesn’t matter how long you have been in business, managed IT services can start helping your business today. Businesses need a lot to keep them running smoothly and efficiently. If you have had a business for many years, maybe you still prefer paper copies and filing cabinets to run your business. If you’re newer to the business world, you likely want to get everything online but maybe you are unsure where to start. Maybe you have concerns about security, with all the reports we hear about cyber-crime. The thing with technology, it is constantly evolving into something more, something different, something better. If running your business takes up most of your time, you likely don’t have the time to keep up with all these changes to technology and that could be off-putting. So, how exactly could managed IT services help you with this?

As stated above, the aim of any business should be to run as smoothly and efficiently as possible. Having what amounts to a dedicated IT department, will provide this. Moving your business online, or having your online systems managed, can make all the difference. So, how does it work? You would have IT specialists working remotely who will always be accessible to fix any problems you may run into with your IT, and to run maintenance on the systems you use. If you are just getting started with IT, they can also help you set everything up to get you started. We all know computers can run into problems and especially if you have an office with a number of computer terminals, chances are problems will arise. But with someone always available to offer immediate assistance, you don’t have to worry about wasted time, and therefore money. No more office staff sat around twiddling their thumbs, waiting for the problem to be solved. Everything is looked into and fixed promptly.

I’m sure we’ve all been on those phone calls to a company where the person is apologising to us for the systems being down and they don’t know when they will be back up and running. Save yourself the lost business opportunities this can cause and have someone to always be there should these types of things happen.

If you need help with set up, this will usually come with a one-off fee, but if you would like the ongoing, always available, managed IT services that I would recommend, this will be paid for in regular payments.

 

Social media has been pivotal in the growth of many businesses. It has brought brands and their customers to a virtual marketplace, making business an easy affair. With media platforms, the online business owner now has better flexibility and organizational control and can make profits seamlessly.

When you’ve had a social media account for a long time, it’s easy to overlook certain aspects because you don’t understand them. You don’t want to be the person who has wonderful tools but never uses them.

To help you become more productive and creative with your media spaces, this article will highlight some social media hacks that you may have overlooked. These hacks have the potential to drive your social media accounts to the corridors of high traffic.

Let’s get to it!

7 Social Media Growth Hacks You Should Know

Hack #1: Measure Your Social Media Analytics

Social media marketing involves a lot of strategies and processes. The only way to know what is working and what is not working for your account is through analytics. Analyzing your social media performance and growth rate will take you back to your drawing board and help you re-strategise.

Analytics help you understand your target audience and give you insight into what generates more traffic. Without these, you can’t improve your products and meet your customers’ needs perfectly.

You can assess social media performance using social media analytic tools. We categorize these analytic tools into two:

• In-built analytic tool: most social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have in-built analytic tools to help their users track performance.
• Third-party analytic tools: these are tools outside of the social media platforms that users can use to calculate account performance. Some third-party analytic tools you can try are:
  • Later
  • SocialPilot
  • Social Status
  • Rival IQ
  • Sendible
  • ShortStack
  • Keyhole
  • Mention
  • Brand24
  • SocialBakers
  • Google Analytics
  • Hootsuite
  • Agorapulse etc.

Hack #2: Keep A Social Media Calendar

A social media calendar is an outline of your future social media posts and activities. It is basically an organizer that’ll help you plan and keep track of all your activities. You can use tools like Google Calendar, Google spreadsheet, Trello etc.

Planning your social media activities will help you stay productive and effective. It will also reduce stress. To Create a social media calendar, use these tips:

• Create a list of upcoming festivities and special days common to your target audience and make goodwill posts.
• Make a list of hashtags that you can always use for your posts.
• Create theme-based content and post them in series to keep your audience interested.
• Do research on when your audience is most active across the different social media platforms. Use this information to post content right when your target audience is online.

Part of keeping a social media calendar includes scheduling your posts. You can draw up a plan for content creation, create quality content and schedule them to post automatically. This will make your life so much easier while increasing your productivity.

When you are able to keep up with your social media activities, you will post the content your audience wants to see. With time,your organizational skill will help you do more and increase your traffic.

Hack #3: Use The Right Social Media For Your Brand

Since you know the benefits of having your business online, you may want to simply jump onto any social media platform. However, the goal isn’t to get your brand on every available platform, the goal is to increase your brand awareness and make more sales.

To achieve this, you need a platform that houses a good number of your target audience. Then, you can start creating content that’ll draw more Instagram followers and make your brand popular.

You shouldn’t amass a large audience of people that don’t need your products or services. That’s why it’s important to choose your social spaces wisely. To find the right social media platform for your brand, take a look at these tips:

• Use the platform(s) that houses your target audience. For example, if your target audience is a younger demographic, Snapchat and TikTok should be part of your options.
• Employ the social media that suits your brand personality. If your brand needs to showcase products and services, Instagram is a great choice.
• Consider the social media platforms that are free or don’t require much money to use if your budget is low.

Hack #4: Use Plugins And Add Your Social Media Feeds To Your Website

If you own a blog or website, this hack will help build a bridge between your blog and social media.

Making your content shareable is a sure way of shooting up traffic. And this is where plugins come in handy. Plugins are software additions that let you customize web browsers, computer programs, blogs and website contents.

By including social media plugins in your blog or website posts, you’ve created an avenue for making your social media posts more visible. As such, your social account accessibility and traffic will increase. These social media sharing buttons will also encourage visitors to share your content on social media platforms.

Apart from using plugins to create sharing buttons, you can add your social media feeds to your website by embedding them.

Hack #5: Cross-share Your Content Across Social Media Platforms

Another growth hack is to share your content on different social media platforms. This will increase your reach and make sure that your target audience sees your content regardless of the social media they use.

For example, It is possible to share your Instagram post on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. Instagram has a feature where you can share content simultaneously on these other platforms as you upload the content on Instagram. Simply link all these other accounts to your Instagram and activate the settings while making an Instagram post.

Another way to cross-share content is by posting snippets of your YouTube videos on Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and other platforms that support short video content. Also, if you have an emailing list, you can ask your subscribers to follow you on social media.

Hack #6: Pay Attention To Each Of Your Social Media Platforms

Each social media platform is unique. Therefore, what works on one platform may not work on the other. If you operate different social media accounts, you should study them and understand how each one of them functions. Know the different tools and features available to each one.

You will be operating erroneously if you just mindlessly make posts without understanding how best the algorithms can work for you.

If you find it tasking to operate more than one account, you should get an extra hand. Employ the services of a social media manager to help you out. Also, Plan out a social media strategy for each platform before you start.

Hack #7: Be Big On Communities

Social media is a world on its own. It creates opportunities for people to meet and benefit from one another mutually. So, joining a Social media community is a good idea. Why? People in your community can follow you. And because these are people that are interested in your niche, they’ll connect with your content more. There are two ways of leveraging communities:

• Join niche-specific communities: There are Facebook groups, Instagram engagement pods, Twitter spaces etc., where you can meet people in your industry and help each other grow.
• Build your brand community: Here, you create a community where you can interact with your followers and friends. To build your community, create branded hashtags and run contests or giveaways. If your community is loyal to your brand, members will share your content and help you generate traffic.

Finally…

Social media is a valuable and productive tool only in the hands of those who know how to use it. You will skyrocket traffic to your social media if you apply these growth hacks. Also, there is still so much to learn from social media, so sit up, do some research, and grow!

 

Making your website accessible to everyone is not only the right thing to do, it can also be good for business. This blog post will discuss some of the best practices for making your WordPress site more accessible. We will cover topics such as how to make your site readable by screen readers, make sure all forms are accessible, and use tools such as accessiBe WordPress. Following these tips will help ensure that your site is available to everyone, regardless of their abilities or disabilities.

What is accessibility, and why should you care?

Accessibility is the practice of making your website or application available to as many people as possible, regardless of their abilities or disabilities. This includes blind or visually impaired people, deaf or hard of hearing, motor disabilities, and more. Making your site accessible benefits not only those with disabilities but also those who do not have disabilities. For example, someone who is blind may use a screen reader to access your site. But someone without a disability may also use a screen reader if they cannot see the screen for some reason (perhaps they are in a dark room).

How can you make your WordPress site more accessible for everyone?

There are many ways you can make your WordPress site more accessible. Some of the most important things to consider are making sure your site can be read by screen readers, making sure all forms are accessible and using images appropriately.

Some specific tips for making your site more accessible

Use descriptive titles and headings: This will help people using screen readers navigate your site.

Use alt text for images: This will help those who are blind or visually impaired to understand what is on the page.

Ensure all forms are accessible: This includes making sure form fields are labeled correctly, and that form submission works properly.

Laws governing website accessibility

Some laws require websites to be accessible to those with disabilities. These include the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Consequences of noncompliance

If your website is not accessible to those with disabilities, you could be sued. In addition, your site may not be indexed by search engines, and you could lose out on potential traffic.

Other FAQs

Q: What is the difference between accessibility and usability?

A: Usability is about making sure your site is easy to use for everyone, regardless of their ability or disability. Accessibility is about making sure your site can be accessed by everyone, regardless of their ability or disability.

Q: I’m not sure my site is accessible. What should I do?

A: There are a few things you can do to test your site’s accessibility:

• Use a screen reader to see if you can access all the content on your site.
• Try using a keyboard to navigate your site. Can you access all the content?
• Are all form fields labeled correctly?
• Is your site easy to use for those with motor disabilities?

Q: I want to make my site more accessible, but I’m unsure where to start.

A: Reading the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) is a good place to start. These guidelines provide detailed information on how to make your site more accessible. You can also find helpful resources and tools on the WordPress Accessibility website.

 

Making your website accessible to everyone is important, and using an accessibility overlay can help you do just that. This blog post will discuss the best practices for using an accessibility overlay and how it can benefit your website. We will also provide some tips on how to get started with using an overlay on your website.

Why should you use an accessibility overlay?

There are many reasons you should use an accessibility overlay on your website. An overlay can help make your website more accessible to people with disabilities, provide text alternatives for images, and improve the overall usability of your site.

How do you set up a website accessibility overlay on your website?

There are a few different ways to set up an accessibility overlay on your website. Here are some of the most common:

Use a plugin

There are many WordPress plugins that you can use to add an accessibility overlay to your website. One of the most popular is the WP Accessibility Helper plugin.

Add code to your site

If you are comfortable with coding, you can add the necessary code to your website yourself. This method requires some technical knowledge, but it can be a great way to add an accessibility overlay if you are comfortable with code.

Use a service

Many services offer accessibility overlays for websites. These services will usually provide you with a piece of code that you can add to your site, or they may have a WordPress plugin that you can use.

What are the best practices for using an accessibility overlay on your website?

There are a few best practices that you should follow when using an accessibility overlay on your website:

Test your overlay

Before you make your overlay live on your site, test it out first. This will help you ensure that it is working properly and that it does not interfere with your site’s usability.

Make sure your overlay is visible

Your accessibility overlay should be visible to all users, regardless of their screen size or resolution. This can be accomplished by using a responsive design for your overlay.

Keep your overlay up to date

As new web standards are released, update your overlay to reflect these changes. This will help to ensure that your site remains accessible to all users.

How can an accessibility overlay help make your website more accessible to all users?

An accessibility overlay can help make your website more accessible in many ways. For example, it can provide text alternatives for images, improve the overall usability of your site, and make your site more accessible to people with disabilities.

Other FAQs

Q: What is an accessibility overlay?

A: An accessibility overlay is a code that you can add to your website to help make it more accessible to all users.

Q: How do I set up an accessibility overlay on my website?

A: There are a few different ways to set up an accessibility overlay on your website. You can use a plugin, add code to your site, or use a service.

Q: How can an accessibility overlay help make my website more accessible?

A: An accessibility overlay can help to make your website more accessible in many ways. It can provide text alternatives for images, improve the overall usability of your site, and make

Making your website accessible to everyone is not only the right thing to do, but it can also help grow your business. This article will discuss eight ways that website accessibility can help you achieve your business goals. We will also provide tips on how you can make your website more accessible for all users by using tools such as accessiBe and others. Let’s get started.

What is website accessibility and why is it important?

Website accessibility is the practice of ensuring that people with disabilities can use your website. This includes people who are blind or have low vision, those who are deaf or hard of hearing, and those with physical, cognitive, and neurological disabilities. It also includes people who use assistive technologies such as screen readers, magnifiers, voice recognition software, and others.

Making your website accessible is important because it ensures that everyone can use your website, regardless of their abilities. This includes not only people with disabilities but also older adults, those with temporary impairments (such as a broken arm), and even people who don’t speak the same language as you do.

Eight ways website accessibility can help grow your business

There are many benefits to making your website accessible, including:

Increased reach

By making your website accessible to people with disabilities, you increase your potential customer base. There are over 56 million people with disabilities in the United States alone. That’s a lot of potential customers!

Improved search engine optimization (SEO)

Making your website accessible can also help improve your SEO. This is because search engines like Google consider accessibility when ranking websites. So, if your website is more accessible than your competitor’s, you’re more likely to rank higher in the search results.

Better customer satisfaction

Accessible websites provide a better user experience for all users, leading to increased customer satisfaction. Studies have shown that accessible websites have higher customer satisfaction rates than non-accessible ones.

Reduced legal risk

There is also a reduced legal risk associated with accessible websites. This is because laws in many countries require businesses to make their websites accessible to people with disabilities. For example, in the United States, there is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). And in the European Union, there is the Directive on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Greater social responsibility

Making your website accessible also shows that you’re a socially responsible business. This can help improve your reputation and build trust with your customers.

Improved customer service

Accessible websites can also lead to improved customer service. This is because accessible websites provide better self-service options for users. For example, if your website is accessible to people who are blind or have low vision, they will be able to use a screen reader to access the content.

Increased sales

Accessible websites can also lead to increased sales. This is because accessible websites provide a better user experience, encouraging users to make purchases.

Reduced costs

Making your website accessible can also help reduce your costs. This is because accessible websites require less maintenance and support. For example, if your website is accessible to people who are blind or have low vision, you won’t need to provide alternate versions of your content in braille or large print.