In today’s highly digital world, there’s no doubt that building an engaging website can work wonders for your small business. Your website serves as a central hub for new customers through avenues like organic search traffic, advertising, and content marketing.
To stay competitive in a constantly evolving market, it’s crucial to maintain an updated, appealing website that clearly relays your brand message and mission. This article offers a variety of strategies to enhance your small business’s website, from increasing mobile responsiveness to sharing compelling content that your audience wants to consume.
1. Optimize Your Site for Mobile Users
The first way to improve your small business’s website is to ensure that it is optimized for mobile users. Because mobile users make up approximately half of worldwide web traffic, your small business can’t afford to ignore this vast demographic. Make sure your website’s format translates well onto devices like smartphones and tablets.
Then, test all your website’s functions, from opening tabs to clicking on buttons and scrolling through pages. Lastly, take stock of your website’s loading speed on mobile devices. Studies show that mobile users rarely wait longer than three seconds for a website to load. With this in mind, a fast mobile website is automatically more profitable than a slow one.
2. Prioritize User Experience
As you take steps to enhance your website, user experience should be your top priority. Though you may be tempted to pack your website with as much information and eye-catching designs as possible, this isn’t necessarily ideal for your user.
Rather, focus on building a straightforward, easy-to-navigate platform that doesn’t overwhelm your audience. While vibrant colors can undoubtedly enhance your website, take care not to use too many flashy features that could distract from your content itself. When in doubt, err on the side of simplicity.
3. Showcase Customer Testimonials
When it comes to capturing your target audience’s attention, one of the best ways is to highlight customer testimonials. An overwhelming majority of today’s customers read online reviews before making a purchase. If your website does not feature any reviews, prospective customers may have less confidence in your products and services.
To get started, reach out to former customers asking for a testimonial that you can include on your website. The more (recent) reviews you have, the better!
4. Utilize Clear Calls to Action
Yet another effective strategy to improve your small business’s website is to include clear, direct calls to action (CTA) in your content. For instance, if you post an informative blog to your website, be sure to tell readers how to purchase your related product or service at the end of the piece.
You can also encourage your audience to contact you for more information about the topic at hand. The most important thing is not to leave your readers hanging. Provide clear instructions on how to proceed, whether it’s by signing up for a newsletter, making a purchase, or calling your office.
5. Publish Helpful Resources
The next step to boosting your website is to publish the high-quality content your audience has been looking for. Often, internet users perform keyword searches — for example, “best kinds of running shoes.” By addressing users’ interests and desires in your content, you can more readily appear as one of the top suggestions on search engines like Google.
Pro tip: Long-form content that thoroughly answers users’ questions is most successful. Along with strategies like optimizing SEO, improving website ranking, and earning backlinks, publishing informative, detailed content is one of the best ways to capture readers’ attention.
6. Join Forces With The Build Fund
Last but not least, small businesses just like yours can experience growth and success by partnering with Build Fund. We offer loans to small businesses in an effort to boost employment and economic growth in underserved communities.
The Build Fund strives to foster community and provide valuable resources that allow businesses to thrive in the face of difficult circumstances. We offer various business support services that are sure to help enhance your business’s long-term trajectory. Learn more about our streamlined application process to see how your business can benefit from a partnership with the Build Fund today.
