Website Paramount to Success
One unfortunate small business practice that I observe all too often is a sub par website thrown together and then quickly neglected after creation. This is so unfortunate because the website is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to promote your business and develop new customers. Websites are direct reflections of the businesses they represent and they are the last place that small companies should be looking to save money. A great website will draw customers in and inspire confidence in your services, so here are a few tips to help your business create and maintain the most effective website possible.
Domain Name Search First
Before you name your new business do a domain name search first! Domain names can be searched and purchased at GoDaddy.com for less than ten dollars, so it is an easy step even if you are not quite ready to start your business immediately. Simplicity is key when choosing a domain name, if you can find an exact domain name match for your desired company name go with it. However, for most people their first choice is probably already in use, in this case try simplifying the domain name rather than expanding it. If you need to expand for the name to make sense, using a descriptive word is always better than using cryptic initials or numbers. If you are not sure bounce your domain name idea off of other people, good friends will let you know if it is too complicated, confusing or misleading. Find a good domain name and purchase it now you won’t regret it later, the perfect name may not be there tomorrow. Definitely purchase the .com address, the .org might be nice to have as well but not essential, other options like .net and .mobi are most likely not necessary for your business.
Hire Professionals to Build and Promote Website
The next door neighbor’s whiz kid might have a really cool and impressive website, but keep in mind that this kid’s webpage goals and audience are probably much different than your that of your business. You should really look to hire a professional who had demonstrated skills in developing professional websites as well as Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques. Before hiring someone to develop your businesses website request examples and references of their work, most will be happy to provide a couple examples of their work.
The first thing you will want to evaluate is the presentation of the provided examples. Make a snap judgment of each website, studies have shown that when people are surfing the internet they decide to stay or leave a website in less than one second of viewing. On that same note, make sure the websites load quickly. This is less of a problem with high speed connections but developers can still get overenthusiastic with unnecessary bells and whistles. The final litmus test in evaluating the presentation is to ask yourself if you could determine the business of each website without reading a single word. Look for relevant high quality photos and graphics that highlight each company.
Next you need to evaluate the SEO skills of the website developers. Go to Google and search for their company plus the references that they provided you. Google will probably be your largest source of new people finding your site, you need someone developing your website that understands how to get listed on Google in a top spot. If you use search for the business exact name, their websites should be on the front page of results. Then try searching for the services that the examples provide, you may have to be specific in naming a location (e.g. to find a florest in Boston, search “Flowers in Boston”). Make sure the webpages are showing up within the first couple pages of results on Google so that potential customers can find them without knowing the name first.
Keep the Website Current
Your website is not finished once it has been published and online, this is an ongoing project and the initial launch is just the start. Stagnant websites do not receive much traffic, and Google will actually lower the rank in search results of websites that are not updated regularly. The simple solution is to add a news section to your website. This can be setup just like or even as a blog, where a simple interface can be used to allow even technology challenged owners or employees to provide updates on the business. Here you can feature new products, company milestones, new partnerships, or any other news that is relevant to potential customers.
This should be updated at the very least once a month, a couple times a week would be excellent. The most important thing this does is it informs previous and potential customers that you are still doing business. It also gives people a better idea about the capabilities of your business. This can be essential in technology driven fields where state of the art is constantly changing, a business can immediately demonstrate their experience in brand new technologies. The other thing a news section will do is provide more content that will be cataloged in search engines providing more opportunities for new customers to find your business.
Remember to keep pride in your website and to keep it up to date with current information about your business. Following those two simple rules will turn your website into one of the most powerful marketing tools for your business.
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