The word “cloud” has basically become a common technological term. While tech-savvy people have a decent understanding of what it truly is, its potential and application come a bit confusing to most of us. For example, cloud hosting is not a shared server with a cloud logo on it. Compared to other hosting services and other traditional forms of hosting, cloud hosting offers unique pros.

The name cloud is drawn from its computing power called the cloud – an extensive underlying network of physical web servers or components where resources are allocated instead of having a fixed set of hardware. To state it simply, this server is an infrastructure that utilizes a software to divide itself into multiple virtual servers. These divisions are then called virtual machines (VM).

The terms “cloud computing” and “cloud storage” are sometimes used interchangeably. A person who is still new to web hosting may be tempted to believe that both terms are the same. But this is far from the truth.

The most general thought of cloud is a unit of storage where you can save files and remotely access them. Some examples are DropBox, iCloud, and Google Drive. Once the files are stored here, any person with access can get a copy of the data stored. Cloud Storage is useful for both personal and organizational use as most of them can provide you with unlimited storage space. Cloud computing, on the other hand, works differently.

Cloud storage is where you safely keep your files, while cloud computing is used to work on and finish projects. Since this is also linked to the cloud, you, or someone else with access can work on the same material and return it to you or pass it around to other people.

In organizations and businesses, cloud computing ensures that people can collaborate more efficiently. Since all the files are accessible to anyone authorized, it eliminates the problems of transparency. Furthermore, cloud computing also improves communication, especially when projects are worked on by multiple people in different locations. One example of Cloud Computing is SaaS or also known as software-as-a-service.

Below are the main types of cloud that you might find useful for your business.

Public Cloud

Public clouds are computing infrastructures that are being offered by companies like Google, Microsoft, and even Amazon. They basically provide services to the public including you. Even organizations can secure a piece of this space of network. Essentially, the resources of the cloud are being shared by hundreds to thousands of people. They do excel in performance but are quite vulnerable to cyber vulnerabilities and attacks.

Private Cloud

A private cloud is a network used by a single person or organization. This means it cannot be shared but still remains to be remotely located. It is often used by businesses who require a specific type of security control. Many medical clinics, banks and other organizations who are mandated to follow certain state guidelines for data control utilize this type of cloud hosting.

It allows these organizations to handle sensitive data while meeting the government regulations without breaching privacy. So rest assured that trade secrets, medical records, bank account details and other classified information are safe.

Hybrid Cloud

The hybrid cloud gives you the best of both worlds. Its system is more complex and requires its users to manage multiple platforms and determine where exactly their data is stored. An example of this is an organization that uses a public cloud to provide information or even interacts with clients or customers while keeping sensitive data secured in a private cloud. If you have an organization and are looking for scalability, flexibility, and security, this is the best choice.

So, how exactly does cloud and cloud computing differ from one another? Here are two pointers to remember:

• Cloud Storage require more storage space as it is mainly used as a storing and sharing medium. Cloud Computing requires a higher processing power because multiple people can access it all together and work on the same project.
• Cloud Storage is mainly for personal use. Some small to medium-sized organizations use them as well. On the other hand, cloud computing allows its users to code applications remotely and even transform the necessary data.

Organizations and businesses today continue to investigate the pros and cons of cloud computing. After all, some companies still prefer to keep their data in a hardware somewhere inside their office. Though it is still relatively in its early stages of adoption, it is clear that Cloud Hosting is also an effective and inexpensive option without risking data security.

For every website owner, it is a dream to dominate the top search ranking of Google. However, the majority of the popular search terms already belong to the different influential companies with authoritative sites linking to one another. What makes these sites dominate the SERPs is that they can easily pass link juice around and control keywords in just a few months.

Such SEO experts who act on almost every Google update, they optimize their sites down to the smallest detail as soon as updates have been announced. That leaves small-time businesses, brands, bloggers, and freelancers almost no space to rank on the first page of Google especially for sites that have no SEO support built into them.

The good news is, there is a workaround.

There are some processes and techniques to help boost your ranking. But it will require hard work, time, effort and patience. Here are four of authentic ways to outrank your competition and claim a valuable spot on the search engine results page.

1. Conduct Keyword Research

Keyword research was and still is an important aspect in search engine optimization. For you to rank highly for a keyword or keyword phrase, you need to ensure that you have done your homework.

When you start researching, length should be the first thing to look at whenever you are trying to rank for a long-tail keyword. As much as possible, try to stick to at least four words.

Many authority sites compete for shorter keywords. If you are still building your authority, it is best to cling to more extended keywords. Using Google’s Keyword Planner tool is a helpful tool in finding out how much competition you are facing.

Another tip in deciding your keywords is to go for something that is not highly competitive but still has a respectable amount of searches. By selecting long-tail keywords, you are not after the volume. Instead, you are centering on the intention, which is discussed below. After all, it is better to have few searches and rank high than to have a lot of searches and not rank at all.

2. Write Keyword-Rich Headlines

Writing a keyword-rich headlines is one of the keys in ranking high because they help real people instantly find what they are looking for. And if it matters to people, it surely matters to SEO as well.

You may notice that authority websites try to put their targeted keywords in the headlines. If you can manage to do this in your posts as well, then go ahead and do it. But if it does not sound natural, move on and do not worry about it.

The goal here is to generate quality titles as much as you can so that you can attract more readers. Play with variations of your headlines and focus on creating titles that are appealing and interesting to users.

3. Study User Intent

Whenever you use Google or any search engine, you will be typing keywords or phrases which will reveal what you need at that specific time. This is what “user intent” is. Studying this concept will help you boost your rank and improve conversion.

According to an article published by searchengineland.com, there are three types of search queries – navigational, informational and transactional queries.

For example, if the keywords are “reviews for omega-3 pills” you can assume that the user is using an informational query to gain information about this topic. When a user enters the keyword “youtube” or “quora,” this person is using a navigational query as his or her intention is to find a particular webpage. If someone uses the phrase “buy running shoes,” you can expect that the user is using a transactional query and is intending to purchase a pair of shoes.

For every user’s search query, always ask the question “why.” Afterwards, you can take the answer and apply it to keyword research. Look for key phrases and their corresponding top three results in the search engine.

For example, you type the keyphrase “social media marketing for your website” to Google. Take the top three or five results and see if you could improve on one of them and possibly publish a content similar to it.

Based on the query used, you can determine if the user has an advanced knowledge or not. Most people who typed the query “social media marketing for your website” is plausibly a rookie looking for answers at a novice level. That gives you an opportunity to write content that can better address the user’s intent for that particular keyword phrase. Doing so will help you rank higher in Google.

Remember that Google focuses on providing the best search results for user queries. If you can successfully meet the user intentions, Google will surely reward you for it.

4. Produce Content Regularly

If your website does not have a blog, you need to start working on one. Publishing content once every two or three months will not generate enough content to help you get ranked. Starting a blog presents the opportunity to publish content consistently. That means you have to get used to writing blog posts or articles that will help answer the “whys” of the user intent.

Writing articles with less than 600 words will not do any justice to your blog. If you genuinely want to be more visible on the world wide web, stick to long and informative articles. The safest word count would be between 800 to 1,500. Embed videos, add photos, use internal and external links and most especially, be unique!

Be cautious of stuffing keywords. This SEO technique might have worked years ago, but today, Google penalizes sites with stuffed keywords without delivering a single notice to the webmaster.

There are no shortcuts in SEO, and these are the white hat solutions you need to follow. By heeding these four processes diligently, you will eventually start noticing the numbers of your traffic and conversion go up. These four methods may take time and hard work, but the rewards are worth it.