We have experienced a global shift in the business world in recent years. Today, even the smallest start-up requires an online presence for it to thrive. The competition for the search engine space is very tight. Business owners need to be up to date with the current trends because the market demands are shifting every day.
To remain relevant, you need to be up to date with the latest technology and regularly update your content. While at it, you should have in mind the people you intend to reach and the search engine technicalities that will make you visible online.
Having a functional website is a challenge to most small businesses. The importance of a good website to small businesses has been incorporated in the curriculum for Business-related courses in Colleges. Peachy Essay receives hundreds of orders on this topic daily.
To help your small business remain afloat in the fast-changing world, here are a few tips that you can employ.
Have a Mobile-friendly site alongside the Desktop site
Most websites in the past were developed for desktops and PCs when you could only get cable internet connectivity. Today, wireless internet is available everywhere, and people have shifted to browsing on their mobile devices.
Google realized that lately, most searches are conducted on mobile devices, and to keep with the trend, they prioritize mobile versions.
A mobile-friendly website should load smoothly on both mobile devices and desktop computers. The website should adapt automatically to the device the viewer is using without losing any information.
A visitor should access the same information, images, links, etc., on both platforms. The mobile version should load smoothly and have user-friendly navigation tools.
Mobile website content should be straightforward. Stay away from long words and complex terminologies and instead go straight to the point. Make the text to be short and straight to the point. The paragraphs, too, should have fewer words and like 2 or 3 sentences.
Also, make sure the hyperlinks are visible and responsive on the first click. Remember, people are becoming less patient by the day. A minor hitch with the website’s responsiveness will make you lose potential clients.
Simplicity goes a long way
Navigating through your small business website should be as simple as simple can be. Remember, the people you are targeting do not know you in person; hence you have to appeal to them by what they see on your site.
Some of the ways you can have a simple yet functional website are by:
- Avoid overusing URLs on the header and include them in the paragraphs instead.
- Keeping the information well visible by using white spaces
- Using minimal colors and ensuring they blend well with your brand
- Use pictures and videos dismally. This will also improve the loading time.
Include a call to action
A call to action is like a signpost that directs visitors on what to do next. Having inappropriate places makes it easy for users to navigate your website, putting you ahead of your competition.
Depending on what you are offering, a call to action can be:
- A statement drawing attention to an offer such as ‘click here to get exclusive offer on your first purchase.’
- Directs users to download more information such as brochures or maps or even encourages them to download your eBooks.
- Encourage users to subscribe to your email updates or personalized messages.
The most important thing to remember when coming up with a call to action is to keep it relevant to your industry. It should not be generalized.
Invest in Search Engine Optimization
You can have good content and unique products but fail to reach your target market because your website is not well optimized for the search engine. Search engine optimization means that your website is appropriately indexed and ranked in a way that is visible to search engine users.
Remember, there are millions of websites offering the same content as you. Your effort on search engine optimization will determine whether your website will appear on the first page of the search engine. Most users never scroll past the second page.
The best SEO practices that you can adopt for your small business website include:
- Researching on the most optimal keywords to use on your content
- Ensuring your website loads faster
- Ensuring your website is secure and has an SSL certificate
- Having internal links and links to your social media pages
Search engine optimization is a continuous process since all content developers are competing for the same space, and hence they keep improving their online presence. If you do not update your website, frequently you will be kicked out.
Update your content regularly
In the fast-paced world, trends are changing every day, and as a small business owner, you need to keep up to remain relevant. You need to have a plan that will enable you to put up new content frequently. Users should have something that they are always looking out for when visiting your website.
Besides posting regularly, the content should also remain relevant. One of the practical ways of achieving this is by requesting reviews from your clients and publishing them on the website. This will attract potential clients eager to try out your products or services.
When planning for your content, you should consider your target population to write in a tone that they will relate with.
Find and fix broken links
You may be required to browse through your website regularly to ensure that all links to your social media pages and internal and external links work properly and open to the correct pages.
There have been cases of links getting hacked and redirected to an unrelated page or the competition page.
404 errors can be quite an eyesore to users. These errors can easily be detected by the Google search console and fixed by any redirect functions that come either as plugins or inbuilt functions of the web builder.
Make use of Webmaster tools
Use the tools that are available online to track the performance of your website. Such tools may include Google Analytics, Bing webmaster, and Google Search Console.
These tools will provide you with information on the number of visitors your website has received, the views on each page, the average time visitors spend on each page, and the webpage loading time.
Google search console is specifically essential because it helps you detect broken link errors and fix them promptly.
Running webmaster tools frequently can help you be in touch with the market trends; hence you will upgrade accordingly.
These are just a few necessary tips that can help you improve your small business’s online presence and convert the traffic to real business. More information on this is available on different websites like CodesOrbit that you can access on your search engine.
