Search Engine Optimization for 2023

by

As of January 1, 2023, there were nearly 2 billion websites on the internet, with thousands of new webpages being added each day. With that much competition, it can feel impossible to direct traffic to your website. That’s where search engine optimization comes in. 

Search engine optimization, also known as SEO, prioritizes your website above other websites with similar content, ensuring that consumers click on your page first. The more traffic is directed to your page, the more clicks you get and the higher your monetization potential becomes. 

However, understanding the best SEO practices to employ can be overwhelming. In this blog post, I will discuss what SEO is and the strategies we employ when updating our client’s websites to make them competitive in the digital sphere. 

How to Build a Killer MVP App, Step 10: Maintain and Enhance Phase- Valuing the Cycle of Continuous Improvement Throughout Your App’s Lifetime

by

How to Build a Killer MVP App, Step 10: Measure Phase- Determining Your MVP’s Success Using Key Performance Metrics

Over the last 15 years, Grio has collaborated with companies of all sizes to create hundreds of exceptional software solutions. Though there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to building an app, we’ve discovered that starting your journey with your Minimum Value Product (MVP) is a great way to set yourself up for long-term success. In this blog series, we are taking our hard-won wisdom and sharing Grio’s ten essential steps for building a killer MVP.

Throughout the last ten posts, we have helped you navigate the MVP development process, from initial conception to metric measurements. In our final post of this series, we will look toward the future, examining how maintenance and enhancement can guarantee the success of your MVP for years to come. 

How to Build a Killer MVP App, Step 9: Measure Phase- Determining Your MVP’s Success Using Key Performance Metrics

by

How to Build a Killer MVP App, Step 9: Measure Phase- Determining Your MVP’s Success Using Key Performance Metrics

After helping hundreds of companies navigate the app creation process, we know that the work doesn’t stop at the public release. Once you release a killer Minimum Value Product (MVP), then it’s time to measure the MVP’s success and plan the next steps. We have perfected our measuring process, and are excited to share our hard-won wisdom with you in this blog series. 

In last week’s post, How to Build a Killer MVP App, Step 8: Release Phase- Making Sure You Practice Before Your Public Performance, we covered each of the steps needed to ensure your MVP’s release is killer. 

However, the work doesn’t stop once your MVP is released. In this week’s blog post, we cover the ninth step for building a killer MVP: the Measure Phase. Below, we will examine how you can use common metrics, such as active users, client acquisition cost, paying users, client lifetime value, and churn rate, to effectively measure the success of your MVP.

How to Build a Killer MVP App, Step 8: Release Phase- Making Sure You Practice Before Your Public Performance

by

How to Build a Killer MVP App, Step 8: Release Phase- Making Sure You Practice Before Your Public Performance

Here at Grio, we know that there is no better feeling than basking in the glow of 5-star reviews during the public release of a new app. However, we also know that reaching that pinnacle can be challenging. Luckily, we have taken all of the tips and tricks we’ve learned throughout 15 years of app development and created Grio’s ten essential steps for building a killer MVP. 

In last week’s post, How to Build a Killer MVP App, Step 7: Stabilization Phase-  “Breaking” Your App So Your Users Don’t, we examined how a proper test plan can help you find issues in your MVP before your users do. 

In this week’s blog post, we cover the eighth step for building a killer MVP: the Release Phase. Releasing your MVP in the stages we discuss below will help you further test and perfect your MVP before its big debut. 

How to Build a Killer MVP App, Step 7: Stabilization Phase- “Breaking” Your App So Your Users Don’t

by

How to Build a Killer MVP App, Step 7: Stabilization Phase- “Breaking” Your App So Your Users Don’t

Over the last 15 years, Grio has collaborated with companies of all sizes to create hundreds of exceptional software solutions. Though there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to building an app, we’ve discovered that starting your journey with your Minimum Value Product (MVP) is a great way to set yourself up for long-term success. In this blog series, we are taking our hard-won wisdom and sharing Grio’s ten essential steps for building a killer MVP.

In last week’s post, How to Build a Killer MVP, Step 6: Development Phase- Embracing Less Engineering and More Testing, we covered best practices for avoiding common errors associated with the development phase. 

In this week’s blog post, we cover the seventh step for building a killer MVP: the Stabilization Phase. We’ll explore how a proper test plan can help you find issues before your users do.

AI and the Future of Jobs

by

AI is a transformative technology that will fundamentally reshape economies and pose significant challenges for policymakers. In fact, many believe that AI could be the fifth industrial revolution, bringing with it massive changes to nearly every aspect of our society. But, if AI sparks the next industrial revolution, the question then becomes, which jobs will be most at risk in the upcoming years? As a software development agency, how do we at Grio continue to support and protect our employees while embracing the newest technological advancements? 

How to Build a Killer MVP App, Step 6: Development Phase- Embracing Less Engineering and More Testing

by

How to Build a Killer MVP App, Step 6: Development Phase- Embracing Less Engineering and More Testing

Whether you’re creating an app for five users or five million, starting your app as a Minimum Value Product (MVP) is a great way to maximize your chances of success. At Grio, we’ve created hundreds of MVPs for companies around the world, so we have wisdom to share. In this blog series, we have gathered all of our best practices and organized them into Grio’s ten essential steps for building a killer MVP.

In last week’s post, How to Build a Killer MVP, Step 5: Design Phase- Taking Your Product from Paper to Prototype, we examined how to create a seamless user experience and polished look for your MVP using user flows, wireframes, style guides, mockups, user testing, and interactive prototypes. 

In this week’s blog post, we cover the sixth step for building a killer MVP: the Development Phase. The Development Phase is one of the most crucial in the MVP design process. Following the best practices below can help you avoid the most common pitfalls as you create your killer MVP. 

DEI(A) in Remote Workspaces

by

Though the pandemic is a thing of the past for many people, its impact is still being felt in many areas of our lives. In the workplace, the pandemic seems to have created a permanent shift towards remote working. A large number of companies, Grio included, have kept remote and flexible work hours, citing numerous benefits for both employees and employers. 

However, remote work provides its own set of challenges, and it is important that employers take proactive steps to continue supporting their employees. In this blog post, I’ll examine how workplace practices for diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) must evolve to remain at the forefront of remote workplaces, and the steps employers can take to successfully implement a virtual DEIA plan. 

How to Build a Killer MVP App, Step 5: Design Phase- Taking Your Product from Paper to Prototype

by

How to Build a Killer MVP App, Step 5: Design Phase- Taking Your Product from Paper to Prototype

At Grio, our 15 years of experience have shown us that there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to building an app. However, after creating hundreds of apps for companies of all sizes, we believe that you can set yourself up for success by starting with a Minimum Value Product (MVP). In the sixth post of our eleven-post blog series, we are continuing to share our essential steps for building a killer MVP.

In last week’s post, How to Build a Killer MVP App, Step 4: Planning Phase- Creating a Plan to Successfully Navigate Your Project Milestones, we discussed strategies and best practices for creating an MVP design plan and explored the various components of MVP plans, including user stories, architecture, and conceptual designs. 

In this week’s blog post, we cover the fifth step for building a killer MVP: the Design Phase. We discuss strategies for creating a seamless user experience and polished look for your MVP using user flows, wireframes, style guides, mockups, user testing, and interactive prototypes. 

Maximizing Your Logs with CloudWatch Logs Insights

by

When you run your application, it generates logs that record pertinent information about the activity, or records of events. These logs, which can contain essential information about your app, its users, and everything in between, can be incredibly beneficial sources of information. Effective logs allow you to stop making assumptions about what’s happening in your code and instead focus on informed decision-making. However, the data is virtually useless if it isn’t stored, searched, and analyzed correctly. 

In this post, I’ll provide a brief overview of good logging practices and examples of how you can use CloudWatch Logs Insights, a program designed to help you interactively search and analyze your log data, to better consume the logs you generate for your application.