We live in an always-on, always-connected world, and many businesses have capitalized on this by adapting their businesses to this new, rapidly changing way of life. To stay relevant and ahead of the competition, it’s imperative that your business stays in touch with new technological trends and advancements. Failing to do so causes you to lose out on potential leads/revenue, and your competition might be the ones who are acquiring these losses. These are four easy digital hacks for remaining in sync with the times and staying ahead of the technological curve.

You likely have a website in place for your business, but how user-friendly is it? At the end of 2016, mobile devices were used more frequently to connect to the internet than desktops for the first time in history. As you would guess, people are now also doing the majority of their online shopping from their mobile devices. This is why it’s imperative that you optimize your website for mobile users if you haven’t already.

You’ve probably heard of “the cloud” before, but you likely haven’t a clue what that means, especially about your business. Working in the cloud essentially means being able to access all of the same tools, records, and files used by your business, regardless of where you are. For example, if you keep your business records stored in the cloud on a server, they can be accessed in any place as long as you have access to the internet. This can be helpful if you ever need to conduct business while out of the office.

The internet of things is taking over business. According to ADT Pulse , mobile devices allow for a large degree of control over your physical site, including door locks, light switches, security systems, safety appliances, manufacturing equipment, and real-time performance reporting.

To some entrepreneurs, it might seem like social media is a pointless venture regarding using it as a part of your business. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth! Social networking sites are breeding grounds for viral content , and they allow businesses a great, cost-effective way to remain connected with customers/clientele on a laxer level.

When a website is launched, traffic does not magically begin appearing on the website without the intervention of some sort. Most often, this “intervention” is search engine optimization (SEO). SEO is essentially a process used to help a website gain more visibility online, especially in search engines. SEO can permanently turn your website from a ghost town into one of the leading authorities in your trade. This is why search engine optimization is always a good idea.

Moving away from restrictive traditions is the first step to catapulting your business into the information age. If you don’t start now, you could wind up taking significant losses in the long run.