I’m AJ, and after selling my digital marketing agency, I started Small Business Bonfire to help small businesses worldwide start, grow, and scale their organizations.
One of the many ways we do that is by recommending business software to our readership. Our core mission is to help you make better buying decisions, cut your learning curve, and get back to what’s important, scaling your business.
While every software is unique, we have a specific way to test each software category to get to the essence of the software itself and cut through the noise.
Furthermore, nearly all of the business software we test has been used in practice by the agency I sold, one of the many businesses I run, or Small Business Bonfire itself.
Most small business blogs have an intern test software they know nothing about; at SBB, you have a crew (including myself) of serial (battle-hardened) entrepreneurs giving you their recommendations and advice.
So, how do we test everything?
Scientific Method Testing: Our Process
We always pursue repeatable, defensible benchmarks and experiential testing when reviewing products.
We strive to keep as many variables the same throughout our testing process resulting in an objective viewpoint on the software.
Whenever we dive into a new product category, we develop a step-by-step script that exhaustively vets the software for ease of use, features, cost, customer service satisfaction, integrations, and scalability.
From there, we compare multiple products in each category to determine the best solution for each use case. We also consider industry standards and complete a comprehensive review of all of the factors mentioned above to ensure that we’re providing our readers with the most accurate and up-to-date information.
By comparing each software option’s features, we can identify which product is best suited for different types of users. We can also uncover hidden features that may be beneficial in specific scenarios.
At Small Business Bonfire, we’re committed to providing our readers with the best possible advice and tools to make better buying decisions. That’s why we put so much effort into thoroughly testing everything we review and comparing products in each category.
Using the Software on SBB: Real-World Testing
After we’ve gone through one round of testing on each software in a category, we put it to the test in the real world by integrating the software with Small Business Bonfire’s WordPress install, software stack, and internal processes.
During the second round of testing, we use the software to automate internal processes, monitor performance, evaluate customer service, and experience any other feature that may be relevant.
By testing each software in real-world scenarios, we can develop a complete picture of what it’s like to use it daily.
A Note About Business Ethics
We think it’s essential for our audience to understand how we make money. At Small Business Bonfire, we make money through display advertising and affiliate partnerships.
However, we always offer a completely objective review of each software. We never compromise our integrity for monetary gain or recommend a piece of software solely because it pays us more than others.
We strive to provide our readers with the best possible advice without bias — and that means only recommending the most reliable solutions available.
If you’re interested in how we review each software category, here’s some additional information that links out to further reading.
How We Test Each Software Category
Due to the large number of categories Small Business Bonfire covers, we’ve had to develop different standard operating procedures for each category. Please review the content below for your specific area of interest.
We start by evaluating the features available, such as contact management, email automation, reporting tools, and integrations. We also consider the cost of each option to determine which solution is most affordable while still providing a great user experience.
Then we dive into customer service satisfaction by analyzing customer reviews and ratings to get a complete picture of the company’s reputation. We also assess scalability, user experience, and any other features that may be relevant for each particular use case.
Before giving a final sign off on the software, we test it internally at SBB by integrating with our internal processes. Finally, we compare each CRM to others we've reviewed in the areas above.
We start by evaluating the features each AI writing tool offers, such as grammar and spelling checks, word choice suggestions, plagiarism checkers, and any other features that may be relevant for our readers.
We also consider the cost of each option to determine which solution is most affordable while still providing a great user experience.
Then we dive into customer service satisfaction by analyzing customer reviews and ratings to get a complete picture of the company’s reputation. We also assess scalability, user experience, and any other AI-related features that may be relevant for each particular use case.
Before giving a final sign-off on the software, we test it internally at SBB. Finally, we compare each AI writing tool to others we've reviewed in the areas above.
We test web hosting by setting up a staging site for each platform we review. This helps us better understand how the hosting platform works and what kind of uptime and performance it provides.
We also review data centers, security measures, customer service, pricing, scalability, and other relevant features for each use case.
Finally, we compare each web hosting provider to the others we've reviewed to give our readers the best possible advice.
We evaluate each VPN and proxy site's features, such as connection speed, data encryption, masking, and pricing.
Then we dive into customer service satisfaction by analyzing customer reviews and ratings to get a complete picture of the company’s reputation. We also assess scalability, user experience, and any other features that may be relevant for each particular use case.
Finally, we test the services internally at SBB before giving a final sign-off on the software. We also compare each VPN and proxy site to others we've reviewed to provide our readers the best possible advice.
In this case, we're using SEO tools daily at SBB. That's why we have a unique perspective when reviewing them. Furthermore, I (AJ) ran an SEO agency for years before eventually selling it for multiple seven figures.
We start by evaluating each SEO tool's features, such as keyword research, backlink analysis, competitor analysis, and any relevant features for our readers.
We also consider the cost of each option to determine which solution is most affordable while still providing a great user experience.
Then we dive into customer service satisfaction by analyzing customer reviews and ratings to get a complete picture of the company’s reputation. We also assess scalability, user experience, and any other features that may be relevant for each particular use case.
Before giving a final sign-off on the software, we test it internally at SBB with the other team members. Finally, we compare each SEO tool to others we've reviewed in order to give our readers the best possible advice.
Conclusion: Our Commitment to Quality
At Small Business Bonfire, we take testing products and recommending software seriously. Every product we review is done through two rounds of testing- scientific method tests and real-world tests- to ensure you get the best advice possible when buying.
If you have any additional questions on our testing methodology, please don’t hesitate to contact us below.