If a business, including even the smallest of businesses, doesn’t have a great website these days, they’re automatically counted out by many potential customers. Most small business owners understand the impact of a great website, and while the necessities can be there, their sites still lack the impact and traffic they might want or need.
Below are some relatively simple and highly effective ways small business owners can improve their website and see better results.
Make Sure It’s Responsive
This is probably one of the biggest areas where small business owners tend to be behind the trends, but it’s also one of the most important. The majority of your site visitors are going to be accessing your content on a smartphone or mobile device, and if your site isn’t responsive and optimized for mobile usage, your visitors are more than likely going to leave it right away.
Work with your web designer to ensure your site is completely responsive and translates seamlessly from a desktop to a mobile device. While working on a responsive design, ensure the mobile version of your site is still in line with your overall branding.
Update Your Images
Most people are inherently driven by images, particularly if it’s something that resonates with them on a personal level. Do an audit of your website images and make sure they look great, are good quality pictures, and they’re likely to be personally appealing to your targeted audience. Take out poor quality pictures or images that are cookie cutter and could be found on any free image website. Your best bet might be to do your own photography if at all possible.
Keep an Eye on SEO
SEO is probably the number one way you’re going to drive traffic to your site and potentially get new customers, but the concepts of SEO are not the same as they once were. Google has implemented sophisticated algorithms that recognize the quality of your content, so packing your pages with repetitive, meaningless SEO isn’t going to cut it.
You might want to consider SEO training for one of your employees so they can manage the content of your site on a continual basis. Most small businesses will find the ROI justifies the investment in training. However, it is a lot better to hire a freelance consultant who has the experience and resources to get you the desired results. SEO experts like the ones you find on this site might be able to help you improve your website traffic.
Use Analytics
Even as a small business owner, you have the competitive advantage that comes with advanced analytics right at your fingertips. You can use Google Analytics, which is a free tool, or you can purchase relatively low-cost software that will delve deep into the behaviors of your customers to help you understand what’s working, what isn’t and how they’re behaving. In today’s competitive marketplace, you really can’t afford not to use analytics to understand your site traffic and customers.
Localize Your Content
Small businesses need to have locally-driven SEO and content on their sites because it allows them to be searchable by the customers in their area and it helps them create a niche for themselves, rather than trying to be competitive in their industry as a whole. Additionally, Google has updated its algorithms to focus on the local element of marketing, content, and SEO. Go through your site and try to integrate keywords and content that will appeal to a local audience and rank well in local search results.
Your website is ultimately the face of your small business, and it’s the link that is going to connect you with your potential customers. Take some time to do a complete audit of your site and make updates like the ones listed above to improve the performance of your entire business.
