Spring is here, and everything will be in full bloom. Springtime means new starts, planning new things, and growing. The same applies to your business. Whether you have a local store, a corporate company, or work independently, new beginnings and fresh starts are always exciting. Let’s look at a few things that will help your company spring forward this year.
Have you updated your website?
A website is a virtual business card. Visitors can view it quickly and learn more about you and your services. When was the last time you updated your website? What is the page speed? Is it optimized for all devices? Aside from updated information, there are a few things to consider for your website in 2022.
How are people searching for your business?
The way customers search and interact online has changed. This means your website must change too! Search Engine Optimization is more important now than it has ever been. Maintain your competitive advantage and appear in searches with keywords, keyword phrases, meta tags, and H-1 tags. On-page and off-page SEO allow the opportunity for great content and the information Google needs to find your site. Your web developer can do an SEO audit to see how your website stacks up against competitors. It is very important to know what people are typing to search for businesses like yours.
Should I rebuild my website or start over?
Are there items on your site that need to be cleaned up? Or does your site need a full re-design? If you have good content, it is worth keeping. A new theme and design can increase page speed and improve user experience. Optimizing images and converting them to .webp will also increase page speed. You want to make sure your new site offers information quickly and has call to actions for people to contact you and learn more. A new design may increase credibility based on the way it looks alone. Changing color schemes, condensing content and rebranding alone can improve your digital presence. If you have an e-Commerce platform, upgrading your store, payment processing, and inventory management can make a significant difference in loading speed.
Should I have my website custom-built or use a template?
Two factors immediately come to mind when deciding between a template or custom site; user experience and cost. Template websites are the more affordable option. It is a pre-built site, and the developer usually plugs in your brand’s colors and logo, copy, and images into templated spaces. Your developer can use the same templates for other websites, so your site may look similar to existing sites. Templates can also limit design and other options if you are looking for some customization.
A custom-built website is truly unique to your business. These sites start with a frame and use code to custom build to your expectations. This can take longer to build, but it is tailored to your specific needs.
What else can I do to improve my company’s online presence?
There are endless opportunities for your company to be seen online. Increase your social media presence. Find out which platforms potential customers are using to engage with products and services similar to yours. Is your competitor using Instagram? Reels are growing in popularity and are the best way to engage an audience. Keep your videos short, educational (depending on your business), entertaining, and to the point.
Build an email list. Capture emails on the back end of your website when customers make a purchase or fill out a form. Send out monthly emails informing subscribers of recent news about your company, or a new product being sold.
Engage. Engage. Engage. Join the conversation in forums, comment on social media posts and videos, ask people questions online. Social media is about being social.
Claim your profile on Google My Business. This is one of the first things we look for when working with new clients. Verifying and managing your Google My Business listing is just the tip of the iceberg to controlling what appears in searches for your company.
If you are considering web design and management, MILE Social can help! Contact us for complimentary website analysis.
