Top 5 Mistakes That Stamp LOSER On Your Small Business Web Site
If you're an entrepreneur or a small business owner, odds are that you've heard about how important it is to have your own website. It's still a common misconception for many people to believe that having your own website is simply something that looks nice on the 'looks like we're doing well' list. If only it were just as easy as having a really nice looking site and a designer to call up from time to time!
But let me tell you, there's so much more to it than just hiring someone who can make the content of your site look good and design a logo for you. That's not enough. It doesn't matter how nice your site looks, if you don't have a solid system in place to promote the content of your site and build more traffic, you'll struggle to get any visibility.
So here are 5 of the most important mistakes that stamp 'LOSER' on your small business website:
Top 5 Mistakes That Stamp LOSER On Your Small Business Web Site
Do you really want to run with the pack? Do you really want to be an industry leader? The truth is that there may be entrepreneurs out there who can give up their entire weekends for months on end and have something even close to what I am trying to achieve, but they will probably never reach this level of success. What makes you different from those entrepreneurs? How can you set yourself apart from your competition?
You can't assume that because the largest company in your industry is doing well, they have it easy. In fact, it's quite the opposite. They have to be better than everyone else in their niche to stand out as a leader and earn the money they need to stay alive. The more success they have, the more things that can go wrong.
What this means is that while you may be able to get away with some mistakes if you're working with a small business web design company, if you're trying to make this happen on your own...well...most likely you're not going to be able to keep up with them.
OPTIMIZE YOUR WEBSITE FOR SEARCH
This goes without saying, but it's important. If your website is not optimized for search, you aren't going to get any results in the SERPs. In order for a search engine to pick up the content of your site, you need a well thought out keyword strategy .
You also need to make sure that you are using those keywords in the content of your site and that the overall structure of your site makes sense from a search standpoint. Don't put all of your content in one category or force people to have to click on several subcategory links before getting any meaningful results.
You should also pay attention to just about everything that you can. Use Google Webmaster Tools so that you know when there are any errors on your site and make it easy for search engines to understand the content of your site.
Google is not looking out for you, they are looking out for themselves. Don't treat them like a benevolent god.
Set up your Google Analytics account so that you can track how people are engaging with the content of your site and use this to optimize the user experience even further over time.
FOCUS ON THE RIGHT CUSTOMERS
It's one thing to have a pretty website, but if you don't know who your ideal customer is and are targeting the wrong kinds of customers , you're going to be in trouble.
For example, let's say that you run a sports equipment store that specializes in baseball equipment. You want to make sales, right? So how do you go about that?
Well, if you are targeting people who are looking for baseball batting gloves one at time, odds are that you're not going to get much business from this. You might sell a few gloves here and there (if the price is right) but these people aren't anywhere near the customers that you are looking for .
Instead, focus on the baseball equipment enthusiasts who know what they want and how to find it. Offer the right kind of products that cater to their specific needs.
While there are ways to do this without having a huge budget, it is important to pay attention to these details since they can really add up over time. You'll want to make sure that you know who your customers are and what you can offer them so that you don't waste money on things like an expensive website design or paid advertising when you should just stick with free options
USE FUTURE TECHNOLOGIES
There are quite a few features of your site that will benefit from the use of future technologies . For example, a site that allows you to use social media to promote your content is a good choice. If you've already set up an account with Facebook and Twitter, then you might as well use it so that your customers can easily share your content with their friends – who might want to buy similar products.
On the other hand, if you're not using any kind of online marketing tools, there's no reason why you can't begin now. You can set up a Google account and start looking at the ways that you can use this to increase your traffic and sales.
Companies like Google and Facebook will be the ones who win, so it's in your best interest to start using them now and learn how to use them effectively.
SCREENSHOT IMPRESSIONS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN PERFORMANCES
This one is probably the most important mistake that you can make, because if you don't already have a solid website, your goal is not going to be successful. While this might seem ridiculous to many people – why should a website that looks nice help you get the results that you want?
But what I've found from experience is that most audiences today do their research on the web. You need to make sure that your product or service will be the one that they want to choose, so you can't write off the ability to start selling right away! If you don't have a nice company logo or a pretty website, how are your customers going to know that they can trust you?
They are going to research your business online and Google is the most effective tool for doing this. If you have a nice logo and website, people will at least know what kind of company you are before they come in. They will have a better idea of what you stand for.
Screenshots aren't just for show, they actually matter! Be sure that you are taking the time to get this right.
YOU CAN ALTER THE CONTENT OF YOUR WEBSITE LATER ON
If you're just starting to build a website, you may not know everything that is involved in this process. You may also not realize how important it is to be able to change your content over time.
This means that as you learn more about your business and want to expand your knowledge, you should be able to make changes like adding new pages or deleting unnecessary ones .
Conclusion
By following these tips, you will get on your way to creating the perfect website for your business. Now, you can be sure that all of your customers can find exactly what they are looking for, and you won't have to worry about starting from scratch.
If you want more specific advice on how to create a website, there are plenty of resources available online . All you have to do is Google the issue that interests you and start digging.
How do I know? Because I'm an active blogger who focuses on business related topics. I like helping people with their small business website projects by providing them with information so they can make money and build a better image for their products or services.