Effective small business websites

Every year, millions of small businesses are started in the United States. Statistics show that a large percentage of them will fail. You don't have to be a statistic. Use these helpful tips to create an effective small business website to support your business goals.

Helpful tips

Stay informed

Keep up with the changes in the marketplace, and how visitors are searching for your type of products or services. Meet them where they are, and in the appropriate format (your website, social media channels, in person events, etc). This will help you set and reach meaningful goals, driving business growth and increasing revenue.

Know your competition

Take a look at what your competitors are doing on their websites. What's good and bad about their website? Use those insights to generate ideas and identify your own site's weaknesses.

Write for your customers

To get your messaging right, start by defining why your customers would be interested in what you do. What do they want and need? Then, clearly explain how your products or services meet those needs. Highlight what makes your offering different or better than your competition. Also, review your website content to make sure you walk your visitors through every step of the buyer's journey (awareness, consideration, decision).

Be adaptable

Make it a practice to review how you use your website to support your entire business. Your website can support various business functions — marketing, sales, customer service, tech support, and so on.

Drive traffic to your website

Don't take a "Field of Dreams" approach. 'If you build it', there's no guarantee that anyone will come! Create compelling website content that people are searching for. Make it useful, so that site visitors will want to share what they've read with others. It takes time and continued attention to generate organic traffic. Consider an online marketing campaign.