As a small business owner, there’s a great sense of accomplishment that comes the first day you open your doors for business. All the months, perhaps even years, preparing for this moment have finally paid off. You made it happen, you really did it. However, we know that opening our doors doesn’t automatically mean there will be hoards of people lined up eager to buy what we’re selling. We’ve got to market our business to get business.
In today’s information age of #marketing and web 2.0, a company’s website is the key to their entire business. - Marcus Sheridan
One of the top 3 digital marketing channels used by small businesses to gain customers is having a website. Knowing your small business needs a website to grow and having a website that actually helps you grow comes down to these 16 incredibly useful website tips.
Set clear goals for your website from the start. A marketing professional or website designer can help you set the right goals.
Think about how your website needs may grow as your business grows. This will help you decide the type of website, platform, and content management system (CMS) you should use.
Determine how you will get traffic to your website. (Paid ads, directory submissions, SEO, etc).
Keep it simple. No need for elaborate bells and whistles.
Your website needs to be responsive, i.e easily browsed on any device.
Page speed is important. Most website visitors will not stick around for a website that takes forever to load.
To avoid downtime and be able to handle varied traffic to your website, you will need website hosting that is both reliable and fast.
Get your website indexed by search engines. E.g. add google analytics to your website.
What does your target audience expect from your website? Meet those expectations. Make your content compelling, easy to find and share. If you have an e-commerce website, is the checkout process seamless or complicated? A complicated checkout process is a roadblock to sales.
Keep your brand identity consistent. Invest in a good logo and ensure that your website reflects the right look and feel for your brand. Look at things like colors, images, font, and even tone of voice.
Be personable. Use your “About Us” page to tell a personal story.
What do you want visitors to do on your website? Include calls-to-action.
Make it easy for visitors to get in contact with you. Include contact information and a contact form.
Build trust. Include reviews or testimonials from clients and customers.
Use your website to capture leads. Provide opt-in forms and encourage visitors to sign up to receive updates from your business.
Don’t just build it and forget it. Ensure your website is up to date. Remove outdated information and, keep things fresh and seasonal where appropriate. Seriously consider adding a company #blog to keep visitors coming back regularly.
#Websites promote you 24/7: no employee will do that. - Paul Cookson
Having a website plays a major role in attracting new customers and increasing sales. If you don’t yet have one for your business in this digital age, you are hurting your business. The good news is that you can get started now, and you don’t have to do it alone.
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