What are the key features that will make a small business successful? Drawing on advice from the experts at domain, hosting and website solutions provider 1&1 Internet and UKBF members, Dan Martin finds out.
Most of your customers will expect you to have a business website, and if they can't find one, they'll likely be suspicious and not view you as a credible company.
But just because you have a website, doesn't mean customers and clients will pour in. You need to spend time getting several things right for it to be successful.
"Local search engine listings are increasingly of high importance to small firms. The more keywords referenced in your domain name, the more search engines will rate your website and position it higher in results, meaning more visitors."
You also need to think about the bit that comes after your company name, traditionally .com and .co.uk. It's also now possible to better reflect your geographic location thanks to the introduction of new total level domains (TLDs) such as .UK, .LONDON, .SCOT and .WALES. Trade-specific TLDs such as .plumbing and .restaurant will also soon be introduced which allow customers to immediately recognise what your company offers.
In our fast-moving, 24-hour society, consumers are unforgiving of poor running sites, so it's vital that you ensure your site is operating at the highest possible speed or you risk losing business to your competitors. Stevenson comments: "Do your research, and ensure that your hosting provider maintains fast network speeds."
UKBF member Lynette says: "Look at Google Analytics and discover how many people are already viewing your website on mobile devices. If your audience is frequently using mobile devices it's worth improving the site to fit in with their needs, especially if the bounce rates are high and the conversion rates are low.
"In my opinion it's certainly worth updating your website to be responsive. I use my phone and tablet to browse online and there's nothing more annoying than coming across a website that isn't responsive, especially if there are pop up screens!"
A responsive website is one which automatically changes its format based on the screen size of the device from which the website is being accessed. This allows for optimal viewing pleasure for the site visitor on any device, whether it's a smartphone, tablet, notebook, laptop, or PC. Going responsive will help you convert more site visitors into customers.
Choose keywords relevant to what you do, but don't get too obsessed with targeting hundreds of search terms. Make sure your website is regularly updated with new and useful content, something which the search engines love.
SEO is an ever-evolving beast so get into the habit of checking your website statistics to ensure it's working and adapt if necessary. The data will show how popular your website is and which pages are most used or losing you traffic. The statistics will also reveal from which websites and which geographic locations your online audience is originating. This will allow you to better measure your online marketing, and is particularly useful if you are looking to expand some services to overseas clients.
The key to making a success of social is being present on the platforms most relevant to your customers, and being focused on what you want to get out of it. UKBF member Concept Vehicle Leasing comments: "Social media is a great way to instantly communicate with your current audience and also allows you to quickly build up your own database of people who are interested in your industry. We find that our Facebook page is more for brand awareness and LinkedIn and Twitter is more useful for generating leads and discussing daily goings-on."
Make sure you link your social presence to your website. Use the same branding in your Facebook, Twitter and Instagram profile images, and use buttons on your site linking to your social profiles.
"Not only does social media impact the business/consumer relationship, but search engines are now relying more heavily on social media likes, shares and tweets within SEO algorithms," advises Stevenson. "In order to become more highly visible and reputable online, a business owner should incorporate a social media strategy as part of their overall business plan.'
Don't let social media take over your life though! It's easier to get overwhelmed by posting and monitoring social activity so it's worth signing up to a service that allows you to manage different social media platforms in one, centralised location.
What are your small business website essentials? Comment below.
Most of your customers will expect you to have a business website, and if they can't find one, they'll likely be suspicious and not view you as a credible company.
But just because you have a website, doesn't mean customers and clients will pour in. You need to spend time getting several things right for it to be successful.
Domain name
Choosing your website domain name is very important so don't rush. Spend time thinking about it properly, as what you select will be a key part of your marketing. Aim for a name that's catchy and easy to remember. Richard Stevenson at 1&1 Internet, advises: "The shorter and snappier the better. For longer names, use hyphens to improve readability. Website visitors often misspell words, switch or miss letters."Local search engine listings are increasingly of high importance to small firms. The more keywords referenced in your domain name, the more search engines will rate your website and position it higher in results, meaning more visitors."
You also need to think about the bit that comes after your company name, traditionally .com and .co.uk. It's also now possible to better reflect your geographic location thanks to the introduction of new total level domains (TLDs) such as .UK, .LONDON, .SCOT and .WALES. Trade-specific TLDs such as .plumbing and .restaurant will also soon be introduced which allow customers to immediately recognise what your company offers.
Be reliable
Slow running websites regularly top polls of internet users' gripes. If they have to wait for a site to load, many customers will leave and go elsewhere.In our fast-moving, 24-hour society, consumers are unforgiving of poor running sites, so it's vital that you ensure your site is operating at the highest possible speed or you risk losing business to your competitors. Stevenson comments: "Do your research, and ensure that your hosting provider maintains fast network speeds."
Go mobile
With the popularity of smartphones ever increasing, more and more of your customers will be looking for businesses just like yours using their mobile. As a result, it's important that your website is optimised for this new way of surfing the internet.UKBF member Lynette says: "Look at Google Analytics and discover how many people are already viewing your website on mobile devices. If your audience is frequently using mobile devices it's worth improving the site to fit in with their needs, especially if the bounce rates are high and the conversion rates are low.
"In my opinion it's certainly worth updating your website to be responsive. I use my phone and tablet to browse online and there's nothing more annoying than coming across a website that isn't responsive, especially if there are pop up screens!"
A responsive website is one which automatically changes its format based on the screen size of the device from which the website is being accessed. This allows for optimal viewing pleasure for the site visitor on any device, whether it's a smartphone, tablet, notebook, laptop, or PC. Going responsive will help you convert more site visitors into customers.
Embrace SEO
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is key to making sure your website is easy to find when customers search for terms related to your business activity. The best website packages today include integral tools for SEO.Choose keywords relevant to what you do, but don't get too obsessed with targeting hundreds of search terms. Make sure your website is regularly updated with new and useful content, something which the search engines love.
SEO is an ever-evolving beast so get into the habit of checking your website statistics to ensure it's working and adapt if necessary. The data will show how popular your website is and which pages are most used or losing you traffic. The statistics will also reveal from which websites and which geographic locations your online audience is originating. This will allow you to better measure your online marketing, and is particularly useful if you are looking to expand some services to overseas clients.
Be social
Your online presence doesn't end with your website; you need to be in other places as well. That's where social media comes in. The chances are that your customers will already be using at least one social network so you need to be there too. Recent research commissioned by 1&1 Internet found that almost half of consumers expect small businesses to communicate through social media platforms, and 40% said they were more likely to buy from small to medium sized businesses who are active on social media.The key to making a success of social is being present on the platforms most relevant to your customers, and being focused on what you want to get out of it. UKBF member Concept Vehicle Leasing comments: "Social media is a great way to instantly communicate with your current audience and also allows you to quickly build up your own database of people who are interested in your industry. We find that our Facebook page is more for brand awareness and LinkedIn and Twitter is more useful for generating leads and discussing daily goings-on."
Make sure you link your social presence to your website. Use the same branding in your Facebook, Twitter and Instagram profile images, and use buttons on your site linking to your social profiles.
"Not only does social media impact the business/consumer relationship, but search engines are now relying more heavily on social media likes, shares and tweets within SEO algorithms," advises Stevenson. "In order to become more highly visible and reputable online, a business owner should incorporate a social media strategy as part of their overall business plan.'
Don't let social media take over your life though! It's easier to get overwhelmed by posting and monitoring social activity so it's worth signing up to a service that allows you to manage different social media platforms in one, centralised location.
What are your small business website essentials? Comment below.
