You’ve Got A Website. So What?
Posted on 24th June 2020
If you run a business, then you need a website. It’s as simple as that. No ifs and no buts. Whether you’re using it to sell via an ecommerce platform or it’s just there to provide information to your customers about your goods and services, your site needs to be online, functioning, and up-to-date.
However, just because you have a website, don’t go thinking that your work is done and you can leave it there to take care of itself. Neglect your site and it’s about as much use as not having one at all. In fact, it would be like setting up a physical shop in a street with 'no entry' signs at either end. A website only works when you put the time and effort into it.
Of course, that’s not to say that you need to spend hours each day tending your website, creating and uploading fresh new content. The important thing is to be regular. As a small business, we know you don’t have the time or budget to constantly monitor your website. But there are some very simple ways you can keep on top of your website and make it work harder for you.
Advertise
This is a pretty straightforward concept but the best way to make sure people are coming to your site is to advertise. There are multiple channels and platforms for advertising, either through traditional media channels such as print and radio or through more modern ones such as social media and pay-per-click.
It’s all about targeting this advertising in the right places, so you need to understand your demographic and customer base. This will let you know the best places to reach the people you want to visit your site.
Each advertising channel has its pros and cons, so think carefully about where best to get the maximum return for your investment before you reach for your credit card.
Social media
This is an incredibly useful tool for businesses and can be cost effective or even free. But you have to be proactive. Twitter is the ideal place to post short and snappy content with links to your site. Facebook promotion has SEO benefits, and LinkedIn is a great place to network with other businesses and find potential new customers and staff.
Make sure you have a visible presence across several suitable social media sites with links back to your own website. You should also post regular and good quality content to your social media accounts, utilising all media including videos and pictures.
Content is key
It’s very important that you have something to say. Creating content that is captivating and interesting is not as easy as it seems, but it is also not impossible. Remember to mix it up. There is no magic formula for making great content, so use a mix of short and snappy posts together with images, long form video content and more.
Think about what your customers want to know. It might be a video of you in production, or a blog post listing the core services and benefits you offer. What makes your business different? Do you want your customers to get to know your staff better? Think about different ways to get people talking.
Most importantly, keep your content fresh and regular. No one likes to see social media accounts with the last piece of content languishing from a couple of years ago. It’s not a good look for the business. But also try not to overdo it and bombard people with post after post about mundane things.
Copy
The way you present your content is also vital. Try to write snappy headlines that grab attention and keep content in short chunks, so it is easier to read. Break up the page with sub headers, bullet points, or lists. Long and endless chunks of prose are big turn offs, no matter how well they are written.
Headlines and sub headers also have valuable SEO potential. So try to use key search terms as this will make your sight more visible to search engines. Which leads us on to….
SEO
Much talked about but often misunderstood, you should never underestimate the importance of search engine optimisation. This is the process by which you make your website stand out to search engines such as Google and Bing.
Every time someone conducts a search, the search engine robots scour the net in a fraction of a second looking for the best quality results for that search term. If your site has the relevant key terms included, in amongst high value information and good quality content – and your site is updated regularly - then customers are more likely to find you.
It’s not about keyword stuffing these days, the bots are getting ever more sophisticated. That’s why it pays to make sure your website is SEO primed and ready for action.
Blogging
You might not think so, but a blog is one of the best and easiest ways to keep your content up-to-date and enticing for your readers. It’s also a great way to get relevant key search terms onto your site, as well as being a good place to put links.
You can also include guest blogs or links to other parts of your site or external relevant content. All of this makes your site more visible and credible. Blogs don’t have to be huge but the more well-written and informative content you can include, the better.
All of the above is simple and straightforward and won’t take too long. But it can also be a good idea to have it all handled by a professional. Having a well-designed, SEO ready, well-advertised site stuffed with great quality content can drive traffic to your site. And that can be an incredibly powerful tool.
If you would like to know more about what we can do, get in touch with our team today. We can make your website work harder.
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