If you own a small business, then finding ways to compete with larger companies is probably high on your list of priorities. While there are many reasons small businesses fail in their first year, facing competition from larger businesses that have more resources and the ability to market to a wider audience is a common cause.
However, there are ways you can help your small business gain an edge, especially when it comes to website design and how your clients and prospective customers use it to shop, communicate, and learn about what your company can do for them.
1. Create Your Personal Brand
Before you invest in creating a small business website, it is wise to ensure that you have a personal brand to display, and that you have the ability to link that brand to all your social media sites. A personal brand gives your customers an association with what you sell and how they think of your company.
Your brand is how you represent your business to the world at large, so it is important that your logo is easily searchable on social media sites and is prominently displayed on all pages of your company’s website.
2. Act on Design Ideas as They Come to You
One advantage of owning a small company is that you can act on innovative design ideas as they come to you. Without the drag of financial and corporate red tape, you can put ideas into motion quickly and gauge their usefulness.
For example, if you have a design idea that allows your site to reach more people while they are on their mobile devices, you can test and launch it much faster than a larger company, which can give you a competitive edge by building a wider customer base in a shorter amount of time.
3. Use SEO Wisely
Search engine optimization trends tend to change constantly, and many businesses believe that its importance is weakening as technology advances. However, SEO can still be beneficial, especially if you invest in a blog for your business website. Blog content can be optimized in many ways to improve your search engine ranking while you offer your customers important information about your business, along with other related content.
As you work with your website design company, ask the techs how they plan to approach SEO for your business in a way that is tailor-made for your needs. Keyword research, optimized links and photos, and consistent updates that keep your site current are all details you might want to discuss with your designers, especially if you plan to use a blog to drive business to your site.
4. Create a Niche Website
Today’s small business websites face a variety of challenges when it comes to finding a place in a highly competitive market, but one way to overcome the number of competitors out there is to become the foremost authority in your field of business. Creating a niche website allows you to offer customers not only products and services, but a huge cache of information on subjects related to them as well.
For example, if you sell organic premium pet food, offering your customers blog posts about canine nutrition, how to keep their pets from becoming obese, and how to compare ingredients when they shop for pet food can make your site their go-to source when it comes to feeding their pets. When your customers come to trust this information, they tend to share it more often on their own social media, which can greatly increase your sales.
When you own a small business, competing in an ever-expanding market can be challenging. However, smart website design that includes mobile ability, innovative use of SEO, and a focus on people, not numbers, can help you succeed today and in the years to come.
