Let’s be honest. We know that just about everyone now turns to the internet for their needs, whether it be finding where to shop, eat, congregate, play, get medical services, driving directions and everything in between. Knowing where and how to position your company or business online is crucial. It can be the difference between making money or losing everything.
Although most people know they need to begin getting the word out about their business online, most don’t know how to do this effectively. There are hundreds, or thousands, of tips online to help you do this but knowing the most basic rules on how to position your company online can make a huge difference. Now I’m not talking about just posting on Facebook or Twitter all day. Yes, that is helpful if you utilize those properly but let’s take it even a step further.
Let’s begin with the basics. When creating your website, what are you trying to tell your consumers? In other words, why should we care? Your ultimate goal is to drive business to your website, but now you need to figure out how to do that. Start by setting some goals and then create a system to measure those goals. For example, start with something small like increasing the number of emails or phone calls. Then begin to add on from there. In doing this you will begin to see what works best for your company and how to better reach your target audience.
Next determine what content you will be putting on your website. This is crucial. Your website is representing you and your business, so take time to create unique and useful content for your viewers. Your website should engage the one’s viewing it. This is what keeps them interest and engaged in what your company has to offer them. The longer they spend on the website, the more likely they are to make a purchase.
Another small, yet very impactful thing you need to address is your website name. No, I’m not talking about what to name your business or even what to title the main page. What I’m talking about it is the URL. When you name your page you want it to be short and easy to remember, but still clearly state what your business does. If you’re in carpet sales, then you wouldn’t want to name your company website www.xyz123.com, because we would have any idea what your business does. Take time to research and come up with a creative name that’s easily searchable and relevant to keywords. Even look at your competition’s websites and see what they’re doing. This will give you an idea on what’s working for them and how to separate yourself from the rest. Ultimately you want to be the best in your respective field, so see who you’re up against to do this.
Once you have your website up and running, you can now begin to track where your website visitors are spending the majority of their time on your website. One free and great way to do this is through Google analytics. In doing this you will have a great idea of your consumer and their needs as it relates to your business. Plus, if they’re not spending as much time on a particular portion of your site that you thought was doing well this will help you to realize and address this for improvement. Also, take advantage of free, local directories such as the yellow pages or local.com.
Now time for some tough love, if you have an ugly or outdated website just accept it. You can’t change what you don’t acknowledge. The first step to improving this is to be aware of the issues. It’s OK to admit you don’t have the best website, but now let’s get to fixing it. One way to really add some flavor to your website is to add video content. This will engage and educate your audience.
Shew! Now that we’ve addressed all of this, let’s get back to my original statement. Yes, Facebook and Twitter can be great when utilized correctly. You might also want to think about a blog. More and more companies are turning to blogs because they’re realizing this is what their customers want. It helps the customer to feel engaged and involved in what your business is doing. You basically begin to gain a fan base, while still educating and engaging them in whatyou do. So, how is your website user experience? Did you follow all of these tips?
