Social media is a great way to attract attention to your small business and build an online presence. However, there's something you need to take care of before you get caught up in your Facebook and Twitter campaigns; your website.
A website is almost always the first place current and potential customers look for information on your company and your products/services. If you don't have one yet, here's your chance to win one completely free!
But if you already have a website, there is a good chance it might benefit from a bit of optimization - or a facelift. You might feel like your current site is outdated, lacking in functionality, or just plain boring. Luckily, there are some pretty simple ways that you or your web technician can edit your existing site to help spruce it up.
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1. Keep It Simple - You probably need less content on your site than you think. It's hard to decide what can stay and what needs to go, but try to keep your information limited to what your audience wants to know. When they visit your site, they want to find info fast, and they want your site to be streamlined.
2. Make Everything Clear - Your business has a message, so make it heard. Focus on making your message clear: show your visitors what your business does, and how you and your products or services can help them.
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3. Make Navigation Easy - Almost any website is going to have more than one page. Keep navigation simple by using a descriptive, logical navigation bar. Use drop-down menus if you have a lot of pages, and make sure to keep the pages related in each drop-down category.
4. Keep Aesthetics in Mind - People are drawn to visually pleasing content. You need to focus on keeping your website attractive if you want it to engage users. Use appropriate color schemes and layout the site so that it flows from top to bottom.
Remember to look around for ideas from competitors and other businesses. If it's working for them, it will probably work for you.
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Kevin Gaertner is Co-Owner of Cyclone Strategies, a marketing agency which helps small and medium sized businesses create and implement online marketing strategies.