Small Business Website Tips Guide
In today’s digital age it is more important than ever to have a creative and professionally branded website. There are some key components that all professional websites should contain.
Having an unprofessional website could drive away potential clients. Also, using SEO tactics and Social Media Marketing help gain traffic to your website which in tune should land you more clients.
Web Domain and Web Hosting
Small Business Website Tip #1 Your domain name should be simple and represent your brand.
You might ask yourself what is a good web address? First off do not use a complicated web address (domain).
Your domain is like your brand. It ought to be easy for a user to remember and type into an Internet browser.
When choosing a domain name don’t use hyphens and numbers in your domain. Try to go with a .com domain if possible. A web domain with a .com extension is most professional but .net can be fine if the .com is not available.
Small Business Website Tip #2 Implement a reliable web server or hosting service.
Having a reliable hosting solution is important, whether you host the website on your own servers or use a 3rd party company for web hosting. Unreliable hosting servers that go down can lose you valuable web traffic and possible sales.
Having your on-line info hijacked by a hacker is a nightmare. It is imperative that you have a secure and credible hosting firm to keep your website up and running. It is also crucial to keep your security updated in order to stay one action ahead of the hackers.
Example of a Web Hosting Company we recommend to clients: http://www.hostgator.com
Small Business Website Tip #3 Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is very important and a must for some websites.
A Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is installed on a web server and encrypts the data sent from the user’s web browser to the web server. A SSL is mostly used to secure important information sent from the browser such as credit card information and confidential data.
A SSL is a must if you are selling products or services on your website with an e-commerce solution. Having an SSL is more important than ever as search engines (Google) can give you a slight boost for SEO.
Once an SSL is installed you will see https protocol and a green padlock displayed in the web browser.
User Experience and User Interface Web Design
Small Business Website Tip #4 Use a professional and simple web design to optimize the user interface & experience.
Professional Web Designers can help get your company’s message across in a creative and engaging way. Your small business web design should easily convey the message of what your company does. That implies clearly stating your label and summing up your service or products precisely on the homepage.
Show individuals your website is the right website that they have actually been searching for. A clear description will certainly entice the visitor’s attention right away within a few seconds, and encourage them to stay on your website much longer.
Call to Action (CTA) buttons are great to engage users to start an action such sign up for a newsletter or contact form.
Logo and Branding
Having a professionally designed custom logo is important for brand identity. Your logo should represent your company with specific colors, name and possibly a tagline.
Custom graphics can be a wonderful way to spice up your website and engage users.
Small Business Website Tip #5 Mobile friendly web design is a must.
Mobile friendly web design is very important this day in age! Many individuals use mobile devices to access service websites and purchase products.
Not having a mobile friendly website can actually hurt your overall SEO score. Making it harder for your website to rank for relevant keywords.
Having a responsive website is a wonderful solution for businesses.
Responsive websites are easily readable on all devices from desktops, tablets to smartphones.
Is your website Mobile Friendly? Test Here: https://search.google.com/search-console/mobile-friendly
Small Business Website Tip #6 Simple web navigation to optimize user experience.
Website Structure
Clear web links to the most essential pages, and a sitemap are critical for directing site visitors to the web pages and information they are looking for. A sitemap is also important in the fact that it helps search engines find your pages.
Navigation
Make certain your navigation is clearly placed for users on your website. I always suggest utilizing drop downs in the navigation menu so the visitor can see the content/sub pages under the appropriate headings.
Your goal should be to make it effortless for visitors to find what they are looking for or exactly what you wish them to know.
Small Business Website Tip #7 Allow potential clients to contact you with ease.
Contact Information
Having visible contact information is essential for a professional website. Especially in a service based business and consulting business when you want visitors to contact you.
The best area for the call info is the top right or left corner of the web page. Posting contact details on every web page in the footer or top right corner helps the visitors find the information conveniently.
You should make sure to feature numerous ways for the visitor to contact you such as: phone, e-mail, and a contact form, are all excellent choices.
Among the largest blunders entrepreneurs and business owners make is to show just one way to reach them on their website.
It is important to make it extremely effortless for individuals to communicate with you on their terms.
Digital Marketing and Content Creation
Small Business Website Tip #8 Search Engine Optimization is a key to success.
Your website won’t bring you potential clients if no one can locate it. SEO is a form of tactics and strategies implied with the goal to rank in the search engines for relevant keywords.
On-Page SEO
Ensure your web site is coded correctly and loads quickly. Keyword research and properly placing the correct numbers of keyword throughout the content is very important.
Place the targeted keyword in title tags, ALT image tags for pictures and meta description for on-page search engine optimization.
Make certain your material is unique, well composed and beneficial. You should keep your content up to date by integrating a regularly-updated blog site or linking in your social media feeds.
Off-Page SEO
Off -Page Search Engine Optimization consists basically of the building of backlinks. A backlink is a link on another website that links to the website you are trying to promote.
Quality backlinks are an important factor when trying to rank websites in search engines. An example of a quality backlink would be a a link from an authoritative website.
Small Business Website Tip #9 Create unique Blog articles and helpful content regularly.
Your company should have a blog and post new engaging helpful content regularly. Creating content around specific keywords, using on-page and off-page SEO tactics is imperative.Once you have all the service pages for you company created.
You should focus on writing helpful articles to engage potential clients and build a professional name in your industry.
It is important to do keyword research before creating content. Adding an image to your content is helpful to get users to stay to read your article. On-Page, Off-Page Search Engine Optimization and Social Media Marketing is needed if you would like to generate traffic and create buzz on-line.
Small Business Website Tip #10 Build your online brand with Social Media Marketing Strategies.
Social Media is a great way to build your online brand and gain traffic from social media platforms. Some of the most popular Social Media Platforms are Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pintrest, Instagram etc.
Share links to your blog articles, post promotions and build your social media following. Well written helpful articles posted on social media can help get company exposure as it will drive followers to re-share your content.
Social Media allows you to interact with potential clients and build web traffic.
Small Business Website Tips Conclusion
Working with a professional Web Design and Web Development firm to design and develop your company website is a must if you want to be successful in digital marketing. There are many unprofessional websites on the internet that so called “web designers” or business owners create themselves.
Outsourcing digital marketing services to a SEO Specialist or SEO agency is a great way to grow your online brand. Generating relevant traffic through organic search engine optimization can help you stand out from your competitors.
Some of the Services TechCube Offers:
Web Design and Development
Internet Marketing and Search Engine Optimization
Written By:
Ryan Mortimer
Sr. Project Manager/IT Consultant
www.techcubeconsulting.com
[email protected]