5 Things All Small Business Websites Should Have

A professional looking small business website can often be the deciding factor in the success or failure of a business. Whether you're part of a larger corporation or a small business, the effect a website can have on your operation cannot be understated. The question then, is what exactly comprises a high quality internet presence? Below are just a few of the simple things that can be done to make an effective small business website. 

1: Start a Blog

Blogs are essentially online journals that any browsing a website can read. While its value might seem questionable at first, it's important to remember that as a growing small business, your goal should be to connect with your clients as much as possible. By establishing a personal connection with potential consumers, you can trust that they will be much more loyal in the long run. 

Another important aspect of blogs is to consider their value as a promotional tool. Aside from talking about events in your personal life, blogs are a great way of informing people about new events, contests, and special discounts that they might not otherwise be aware of. 

2: Establish a Contact Form

Along a similar vein as setting the blog itself up, it's a good idea to include some element of a contact form on the website itself. Nowadays, people are less inclined to look up a phone number if they could just as easily ask questions or seek information via email. A contact form shows that your small business cares about what its customers think, as well as assuring them that you are readily available should they have any concerns. 

3: Develop a Page Title

To ensure a strong web presence, it's important to develop a good webpage title for your site. Not only will this be something that clients see upon arrival, but it will also be what stays with them after exiting your site. An unprofessional webpage can make your site appear as though it was only constructed as an afterthought. Not only does this reflect poorly on you, but on the remaining components of your small business website as well. 

4: Think Before Uploading

This should go without saying, but make sure that the content you upload to your website is not only well thought out, but written expertly as well. Poorly worded websites, plagued by misspellings, aren't going to interest many visitors into sticking around for much time. This will reduce traffic and prevent people from wanting to support your small business in the future. Taking the time to properly review the content you upload will save both time and money in the long run. 

5: Utilize a Content Management System

Speaking of saving time and money, a content management system can be a great aid to someone already overworked with managing a small business. Put simply, a content management system takes care of the "back-end" of building and maintaining a website so that you can focus solely on what appears on the "front-end" of the website. Once you've found a content management system that's right for you, running a professional small business website is as simple as following the steps already outlined above.

Contact Bell Media to find out they can help out and get your small business online.