Five Websites That Can Drive Costs Down For Your Business

It has never been a better time to run your own business. It might be challenging economically, but in terms of the support and opportunities offered by technology, we are better off than ever. Technology can save your company time, effort and money; here are our five top websites that can help your business.

Xero.com

Not every business needs a book-keeper or accountant to monitor day-to-day financial transactions. Xero is brilliant accountancy software, designed to be used by non-specialists. It can handle invoicing, payments and report-producing at a fraction of the cost of an accountant. It is all online, and interacts with your bank account so that your accounts are always up to date with the most recent transactions. The basic package costs just £9 per month.

Peopleperhour.com 

You can find a freelancer to do virtually anything (within reason!) on this easy-to-use website.  Costs are kept low for those searching for talent, all payments and transactions are done via the secure website and freelancers are rated by other users. Freelancers can be paid for "one- off" jobs, with none of the HR hassle or costs of employing someone permanently.  If you need help with admin, PR, marketing or building a website, you can find talented people at a fraction of the price on Peopleperhour.

PRweb.com

PR doesn't have to involve expensive monthly retainers. Whether you want to announce a special offer, a new launch, or just tell people about what you do, you can use PRweb to distribute your press releases to interested journalists, websites and blogs.  You can choose to distribute by industry press and by region, and prices start from £59 per press release. The website also helps you with writing the press release, getting it featured on Google search results, and promoting it on social media.

Webrecruit.co.uk 

If you dread advertising in local media for staff, dealing with different agencies and having to sift through CV's, then webrecruit offers a solution for busy employers who need to find quality staff fast.  The online recruitment website helps employers to find the right employees, without the hefty agency fees or having to spend weeks managing the recruitment process. Webrecruit works on a "fixed fee" basis, which is usually much cheaper than traditional agency fees.

Uswitchforbusiness.com 

Uswitchforbusiness.com is designed to help businesses find cheaper energy deals. Think you might be paying over the odds for your business utility bills? At uswitchforbusiness you can compare electricity and gas prices from a number of suppliers, and choose the best deal. The site is easy to use and offers a service that can save you money instantly.  It is free to use and makes switching suppliers straightforward.