Inbound Marketing Hardware

Inbound marketing lives on the Web. It truly does. Data scrapers gather keyword and link information across the Internet, providing website publishers with analytics they can use to their advantage. They know how their site is performing as well as what their competitors are doing, virtually (no pun intended) in real-time. Website development applications are increasingly browser-based, simplifying the process of launching new projects along with editing existing sites directly online. Most digital marketing agencies and SEO gurus know all about this stuff. But what about the hardware? How does a good (or bad) computer affect tasks associated with inbound marketing and, more importantly, the results of our efforts?

We want things to get done, and we want them done now. Procrastination aside, when we're ready to write up a new article (whether in a static page or blog format), momentum plays a key role. Content creation thrives on the ability to get into, well, a creative flow. If there are too many hiccups and glitches along the way, ideas begin to stagnate. Even pre-edited scripts won't get uploaded as quickly if platforms are buggy. But it's not just website builders and content management systems that stop growth... personal computers do as well.

Without getting into operating systems and on-premise software, there is something to be said about the quality of your desktop, laptop or tablet in regards to how well your website ultimately matches up against others in the same industry.

Processors render information associated with your tasks, and the speed at which they do so naturally varies based on the brand and model. Generally speaking, fanless processors are slower relative to the alternative which are designed to handle more intensive computing tasks. That said, the latter (i.e., processors requiring a fan) have a shorter shelf life due to the regular heating they're required to bear. For running basic productivity apps (text editing, etc), the majority of modern processors (even the lower-end ones) perform well.

Most devices today include at least a dual-core processor, although quad-core (and even hexa-core) processors are quickly becoming the norm in commercially-sold products. The higher the number of cores, the more intensive tasks that can be performed. As a user begins to move from basic productivity into professional programming, podcasting, photo editing, video editing or 3-D animation (and beyond), a quad-core processor can be regarded as the recommended bare minimum. An important side-note is that certain processors contain a nuanced feature labeled hyper-threading. Hyper-threading, in theory, doubles the number of active cores. As such, pricing often reflects this boost in performance.

The amount of memory (also referred to as RAM) complements the processor in that it temporarily stores information used for performing & completing open tasks. RAM is also used up when running consumption-based applications (eg: watching videos, listening to music, scrolling through image galleries, etc), especially when done simultaneously. Similar to processors, there is no defined beginning point of purchase (since the managing operating system and other factors influence results greatly). Still, 8 GB of RAM should suffice when considering today's application demands with the caveat being that power-users (like Web designers, for example) will likely benefit from a smoother experience when 16 GB or more of RAM are present in their machine. An important side-note would be that some computers don't have upgradeable memory (in the case where you might be interested in increasing the amount of RAM independently in order to save on pricing, etc); this information is generally available in suppliers' specifications sheets associated with each product.

When entering the realm of visual content creation (i.e., image manipulation, video production, etc), something called a graphics card (also known as a video card) becomes essential. While all computers have an integrated graphics card (for conducting base-level tasks), a dedicated or discrete graphics card is necessary for delivering higher-level output. This portion is usually found in larger devices like desktops and laptops, although there's a growing trend of inclusions in smaller computers such as tablets and mini PCs. Portable devices containing these are usually touted as laptop replacements.

As with other components, today's graphics cards come in various performance levels. The average graphics card can handle photo/video editing (up to 1080p [Full HD] resolution) without any issues. But if 3-D rendering or 4K-8K video editing is on the horizon, you'll need to lean towards higher-end cards, often bringing the device price tag to nearly double (with other specifications usually upgraded alongside it as well). Slightly less relevant to the card itself, is the size of the card; larger graphics cards (more than 2 GB) offer ample memory for the above-mentioned tasks, but users can definitely still get stuff done with a 1-2 GB of memory graphics card, albeit with longer rendering times for content.

Unbeknownst to many, storage options greatly influence the speed associated with virtually all computing tasks, with HDD offering the slowest run/read times and SSD (i.e., solid state drive), also known as flash storage, being the fastest. There are midrange options such as eMMC storage that strike a nice balance between price and performance. That said, in the times we're in with cloud (i.e., Web-based) storage being as prominent as it is, the actual usage of storage is less relevant. Typically, informed buyers will opt for what's called a hybrid drive (also known as a fusion drive), consisting of both SSD (for completing tasks) and HDD (for storing files). The ideal, however, would be to own a machine with a big enough SSD for computing tasks as well as for storing files. Unless you're saving extremely large files (eg: 4K, 5K, or 8K videos, etc), 128 GB of SSD is a good starting point for SSD-only storage.

There is much to discuss about other elements of a computer in association with inbound marketing; ports, displays, and even build quality & aesthetics, etc. Something to keep in mind is that whichever purchasing decision you make, it needs to be in line with whatever you'd like to accomplish online. Do your tasks require speed & momentum, heavy lifting, creative flair, or all of the above? And if budget is a deciding factor, start small until you're ready to go big... but always deliver value, because that's what's ultimately important.