In our increasingly modern and technological society, having an online presence is no longer just recommended for small businesses —it is required. Marketing has the potential to reach a greater audience online, and brand recognition is truly solidified through a company’s digital interface. Big businesses aren’t the only ones who benefit from a well-curated website. There are multiple distinct advantages of having a website for a small business.
1. Build Your Audience: Every business needs customers. For large businesses, sometimes new customers can be reached simply by name-brand awareness; however, small businesses do not have that luxury. To find new customers for your products and services, having a website is essential. The majority of consumers discover new brands through online searching; therefore, if your company is lacking an online presence, it severely limits the number of people finding out about the services you offer.
2. Build Your Brand: An effective company has a consistent brand. Customers come to learn what to expect from your business and can trust the product or service provided. While there are many ways to build brand awareness, a website is one of the most wide-reaching, professional ways to begin solidifying your small business’s image. The more information available about your company, the more reputable your company appears in the eyes of potential customers. Additionally, a well-designed website can signal to clients that you take yourself —and your business— seriously.
3. Business Growth: Traditionally, small businesses used to grow by word-of-mouth through a smaller community. Now, due to the fast-paced nature of the online world, a link can be shared in a matter of seconds and a product can be viewed from nearly anywhere across the globe. This can be an opportunity for small business to grow their company more quickly than before. Your website can reach new clientele in different locations or with different demographic backgrounds, which might suit your business better than the local clientele.
4. Separate Yourself from the Competition: If your small business is competing with other local businesses for the same subset of potential clients, having a professional-level website to show off your services and portfolio is one simple way to separate yourself from other businesses. Potential customers generally trust companies with a legitimate website design over a company with little to no online presence. Additionally, by presenting information clearly on your small business’s website, it is easier for customers to determine why your products and services are superior to the competition’s.
68% of People say a business blog can add credibility to your website
A business blog is a great way to not only establish a presence across the web, including your website as well as your social media channels, but it is also a great way to establish yourself as a credible authority in your industry. Social media is a great way to be in contact with your customers / followers on a daily basis, but you can’t always get your point across in one tweet or one Facebook post. A blog can allow you to expand on your social media presence with a quick teaser and a link to more information.
Why do I need a business blog?
There are two main purposes for a having a business blog. The first is to bring traffic to your website. The second is to create a conversation with your followers.
When someone goes online to search for a business within your industry, you ideally want your business to show up close to the top of the search results. In order to accomplish this, you have to have effective search engine optimization (SEO). One of the ways to create effective SEO, is to post consistently with relevant keywords and original, high quality content. A blog can help to accomplish some of this.
Because a business blog allows you to so easily share information about your business and industry, it can be a great way to create an online customer / reader/ follower base. Allowing your followers and customers a view inside your business can let them communicate with you in a more in-depth way. If your business website does not have a blog, you are missing a big opportunity to increase your company’s visibility, which could also correlate to an increase in your bottom line.
What needs to be done in a business blog?
The main goal of a business blog is to engage your readers / customers and build trust with them. There are a few ways to effectively do this.
- Have a clean, good looking design with a professional logo.
- Keep your posts short and easy to understand, but not too short!
- Share with your social media channels.
- Use correct spelling and grammar.
- Have good quality photos and graphics.
- Encourage customer feedback and reviews.
- Link to trustworthy sources and sites.
- Don’t write about your competitors.
- Focus on the positives of your company and products.
- Build relationships and establish links with affiliates who will promote your products as well.
- Make sure to use keywords that your customers might be searching for.
What type of content should my business blog have?
Setting up a business blog is a fairly simple task. The difficulty begins when it comes to maintaining it with original, unique content that your readers will find useful. It is necessary to keep your customer in mind, so that you can focus on writing content that is attractive to them.
You will only convert your readers into customers if you have engaging, relevant, credible posts. Therefore, you want to tell and show your readers why your products and services are unique and reliable. You also want to make sure you keep them updated with upcoming products, new services, future events, and any other relevant news within your business. Overall, it is a great forum for sharing relevant, reliable information about your business, products, services, and more.
The importance of having an optimized mobile website design that is responsive on all devices is becoming increasingly important to all businesses big and small.
The amount of time and money people are spending on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets has been steadily on the rise over the last few years, and yet, according to Adobe, there are still 45% of businesses that don’t have a mobile website that is optimized for all devices.
Mobile optimization for your site may seem like an investment you aren’t ready to take on, but just how much business are you missing out on by having a website that is not mobile friendly?
Think About This…
- 58% of all US consumers already own a smartphone. (comScore)
- Over 1.2 billion people access the web from their mobile devices. (Trinity Digital Marketing)
- Global mobile traffic now accounts for 15% of all Internet traffic. (Internet Trends 2013)
- 50% of smartphone Internet users surveyed said that even if they like a business, they would use it less often if its website did not meet their mobile-friendly standards. (Google)
- 61% of people have a better opinion of brands when they offer a good mobile experience. (Latitude)
- 95% of smartphone users have searched for local info. (Google)
- Tablet users spend 50% more than PC users. (Adobe)
Responsive Web Design is a must across all devices.
Remember This…
Mobile Sites Lead to Purchases
Although this may seem like a given, a Google survey confirmed that shoppers are more likely to buy a product or service from a mobile-optimized site. In addition, 78% of smartphone owners and 75% of tablet owners consider the “look and feel” of a company’s mobile website when considering whether or not to make a purchase from it. (Kentico Software)
Non-Optimized Sites Drive Customers Away
A large majority of survey participants said that they are looking for responsive website design. Instead of switching to a PC to find what they want from your site, they will instead find a competitor that is mobile friendly. (Google) According to Compuware, 1 in 3 respondents said that a poor mobile application experience would drive them to a competitor.
Bad Mobile Experiences Can Damage Your Company Brand
A bad mobile experience can cause frustration and annoyance with your customers. Not having a mobile friendly website design can make your customer feel as though you do not care about your business. Although more than 75% of smartphone and tablet owners say they often return to websites that are visually appealing and function well on their devices, 44% say they would never go back to the site, and 52% would not return often if the website is not responsive and does not perform well on their device. (Kentico Software)
Is it worth not having a mobile optimized site for your business?
It’s time to optimize your mobile website and take it…
