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Consider your small business website.
There’s an awful lot of small business websites that are failing to deliver on their owners expectations due to some basic problems.
Does your website represent what you do?
Think about all the things your business does for its customers, probably there’s a lot more to your business that your website is telling. By explaining properly what your business does and how you help means that existing customers could discover new services or products that they hadn’t associated with you, and potential new customers will have a much better understanding of everything your business offers them. Let your customers know who they are dealing with, and make them feel like they are spending money on a business they can identify with and cares about what they think.
Is your website still relevant?
All things change, and the small business advantage is that it can adapt to changing markets faster than large corporations. So have a look at your website, is it still in touch with the needs of todays’ consumers? People use the web increasingly to research companies and products before either making contact, or making a purchase. If your business is out of touch with consumers’ needs then no website in the world is going to help you. But if you are in touch with your customers’ needs then make sure your website reflects this.
Is your small business website up to date?
Always keep the content of your website up to date. If a visitor has gone to the trouble of finding your website you can be pretty sure they are looking for more information about your business, they want to see new information and be updated on new developments to your products or services. Allow your visitors to identify with your business and let them see that you provide high quality content worth visiting for. And always make sure all your contact information up to date.
How easy is it to find your way around your website?
So how easy is it for visitors to find your relevant, up to date content? Clearly structure the content of your website. No one likes getting lost in a website that they can’t find their way through. Make your small business website easy to navigate, think of your website a bit like a department or DIY store. When you visit a DIY store looking for taps it’s probably a safe bet to go to the bathroom department. Above all ensure your website’s structure makes sense and doesn’t force people to think too hard – it should be as obvious as possible.
Does your small business website look professional?
Think of your website as your online sales representative, working for you 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Your website could be the first impression that potential customers receive of your business – so it needs to be sending out the right messages. Take a good look around your website; if you were a potential customer does it convince you enough to do business? If it doesn’t then your website may be actually doing more harm than good.
Keeping your small business website regularly updated.
It’s not always easy to find the time to keep adding fresh content to your website, but if your website has the facility to publish your latest news or projects then you really should be making the effort. What would you think if you visited a website and the last news item was from 9 months ago? Are they still in business? Have they not got any work on? Perhaps they’re too busy to update their website? Or maybe they just can’t be bothered. Remember although your website is about you and your business, it needs to be written and designed from your customer’s point of view; here’s how we can help you rather than this is what we do.
Making your small business website a valuable resource.
The majority of visitors to your website will arrive early on in the buying process – looking around for information until the time is right to make a purchase. So as well as background information on your company and its products or services you also need to present information that strikes a chord with those who are just browsing your website. Help them to overcome some of the challenges they face, start to build a relationship with them and when the times comes to buy they’ll remember you. To do this your website needs to provide valuable information and resources, something your customers and potential customers can learn from.