#10: Keep your site fresh

...part of the "Ten Ways to Maximize Your Small Business Website’s Performance" series...

The best websites are like living things. Your visitors come to see what’s new, to interact with your company, to learn, and to enjoy.

Getting this effect takes time and effort. If web design, web content, and web marketing aren’t your areas of expertise, it can be a struggle. Yet it’s essential. Your web site is an investment. Failing to keep it fresh limits your return on that investment. An out of date site creates the impression that your business is also out of date. It’s the same as having a ramshackle building with peeling paint. It affects your visitors’ impression of your business.

Plan when you design your site for the ways you’ll want to refresh your web site. Your web professional can help you explore the options and make the best plan for your circumstances.

Managing a small business and keeping up with your web site can be cumbersome. But it’s worth doing. If you don’t have the time to do it yourself, or prefer not to divert staff from essential tasks, engage a professional to keep up with your web site.

#9: Engage your visitors

...part of the "Ten Ways to Maximize Your Small Business Website’s Performance" series...

Social media is a great way to keep your customers in the loop and also to let them help you promote your products and services. Consider setting up a Facebook page for your company. Create a Twitter account that keeps your customers informed about interesting things you are doing. Use Linked In, Spoke, or the relevant community within your industry to network and build relationships.

Word of mouth has long been one of the best means of marketing around. Now, it’s just as likely to be a text, a tweet, or an email as a spoken word. It’s still a great way to establish trust and strengthen connections.

Social media is a two-way street. You can learn from your customers and your colleagues, and even from your competitors. Give your visitors as many ways as possible to give you feedback about your web site, company, products, and services. You’ll get valuable insights, and your visitors will feel more engaged with your company.

The most important thing to remember in using social media is authenticity. Social media marketing isn’t the same as advertising. It’s a community, or a set of communities. Your business benefits from being part of the online community just as it does from being part of the community where you live.

Contact Sharp Hue and we'll help you get set up with Twitter, Facebook, and more. Check back soon for tip #10: Keep your site fresh

#8: Maintain a blog

...part of the "Ten Ways to Maximize Your Small Business Website’s Performance" series...

A blog can be a great way to communicate with customers on a more personal level. Your blog can educate visitors about your industry or provide some perspective on what direction your company is heading. It can show your expertise. A good blog can drive traffic to your website, help you rank with the search engines for more keywords, and add value for your customers.

The key is to create interesting content that keeps visitors coming back for more. The questions your customers ask you are a great place to start. News in your industry is another excellent starting point. Your customers will come to rely on you to report the news that affects them.

There are a number of different ways to create a blog, but not all of them will give you the results you want. To get the most for your business from your blog, you’ll want to integrate your blog into your web site, or to link the blog and the web site together well. You’ll also want to style your blog to match your web site, in order to reinforce your brand and to give your visitors a smooth transition between the two.

Since there are many choices in setting up a blog to go with your web site, your best bet is to discuss your options with your web master or web designer.

Contact Sharp Hue and we'll help you install a completely integrated blog into your web site. Check back soon for tip #9: Engage your visitors

#7: Understand your traffic

...part of the "Ten Ways to Maximize Your Small Business Website’s Performance" series...

With web sites, the numbers tell the story. Once you have your web site launched, you’ll have questions. Are people interested in your products? How long do they stay? On what pages do they exit your site?

All of these questions can be answered by installing Google Analytics into your web site. Google Analytics is a free service that gives you information on who is visiting your web site, how they arrived, what they do during their visit, and when they leave. This data allows you to make informed business decisions, on and off your web site.

Knowing which sources send you the most traffic lets you target your marketing efforts in the direction that gives you the best return on your investment. Knowing where in the world your visitors are lets you tweak your message to encourage local traffic, if that’s what you need, or to accommodate your global clientele.

But you can only take advantage of this information if you collect it, follow it, and understand how to use it. If your skill set doesn’t include working with quantitative data, get professional help with this step. Don’t lose out on the opportunity.

Contact Sharp Hue and we'll help you install Google Analytics into your web site -- it's easier than you think. Check back soon for tip #8: Maintain a blog

#6: Create a Call to Action

...part of the "Ten Ways to Maximize Your Small Business Website’s Performance" series...

Even with fast web hosting and a search engine optimized site, your visitors’ experience has to be easy. Since your web site is connected with a business, you’ll have more to offer your customers than just the information and enjoyment they find on your homepage. Make sure you drive them all the way through the sales pipeline by creating text and buttons that make their next step clear.

Spend some time thinking about, and perhaps researching, the optimal user journey for your customers. Identify the decision points along the way and plan to give your visitors clear guidelines every time they need guidance. When your customers want to buy, subscribe, or otherwise take their next step with you, make sure it’s easy for them to do so.

Don’t think you’re being too aggressive by providing those clear guideposts. In fact, you’re helping your customers. They’re wondering how they can get the great goods or services you provide, and you’re making it easy for them.

“Buy Now”, “Sign up”, “Schedule an appointment.” Phrases like these, linked clearly to the pages that let your customers take those steps, keep your visitors traveling smoothly along the path to a satisfying transaction.

Contact Sharp Hue and we'll give you a free analysis of your web site's usability. Check back soon for tip #7: Understand your traffic