Small Business Website Design and Affordable Web HostingTips And Advice
Do you want to create a small business website and bring your local business online? It's easier than you might think. Making a small business website yourself can not only be easy, but it can also put you in control of a powerful way to reach customers both locally, nationally, and even internationally.
If you're a landscaper in Santa Cruz, CA, a painter in Buffalo, NY, or a travel agency in Mobile, Alabama, then you already have a targetted niche audience, and it's incredibly easy to develop a business website that can get found by people searching for exactly the services you provide.
People are using the internet more and more as a way of finding local services
When I was searching for local surfing lessons a few years ago, I went straight to Google. Why? Because I knew the yellow pages wouldn't have up to date information on surfing lessons. I spent a little time searching and found someone doing group lessons in Long Beach, NY. It was a bit of a drive for me, but it was EXACTLY what I was looking for. I couldn't have been happier.
When I needed to get my car repaired while in college, my dad used the internet to find a great local mechanic. Since my dad was helping me from another state, he didn't have a chance to use a local yellow pages. Plus, the website gave detailed instructions on how to get to the shop, as well as a coupon for people who found them via the internet! Needless to say, we used their service.
These scenarios happen all the time! People looking for local services often check Google first because they know that websites have the most up to date information regarding local businesses. The Yellow Pages is becoming a thing of the past now since it can't keep up with the constant changes as fast as the [Google + Local Business Websites] equation.
Small Business Website Design Tips And Ideas Stand out from the crowd!
Content Is King - Build a site that is content rich, just like I state in the main website design guide. Write up a short history of your business, write a few guides that help people determine what good or service would be good for them, or simply describe what your business is all about! People will see the effort you put into the content, and that transfers into receptive, confident customers.
Build for your customers - So many people build websites to please themselves, without giving a second thought to who is actually going to be seeing the site! Think about who your target market/demographic is. What are they looking for? When people search the internet, they are looking for things. Find a way to fill their need, and you'll be way ahead of the game.
Don't just put up your company name and address - When you build a small business website, you have the opportunity to do so much more than just throw up a single page like a yellow pages ad. Take the time to really build a useful site. Local businesses with high quality websites are often thought of as more authoritative and trustworthy.
For example: Say you're looking for a local pest control company. You find an extensive website for Company A, with information on what kind of poisons and bug-removal methods they use. You also find a small ad for Company B in the Yellow Pages with a few lines of description and a phone number. Barring a huge difference in price, wouldn't you be more inclined to use Company A? I know I would be. If they took the time to describe their service, then I would tend to think they must know what they're doing and be pretty good at it!
Create a mailing list - An email list can be a great way to keep customers interested. Send out emails regarding sales, special offers, and even send out a coupon or two. I can't tell you how many times myself, friends, and family members have gone shopping just because they got a coupon via email. This works wonders.
Hosting RecommendationMy honest opinion
If you're a small business owner, then you're probably very busy even without the extra work of running a website! However, I'd suggest you check out a few services that put you in control of the building process. While hiring out the work might be the best solution for large companies, for smaller businesses it's much better to have full control of the website. That way you don't have to go through a webmaster every time you want to update the site.
Without hesitation, I strongly recommend considering Site Build It! as your small business website design and hosting solution. Site Build It makes the process of building a high quality, search engine friendly website as easy as pie.
I personally use Site Build It! to create and host my own personal "infopreneurial" website, and they are hands down one of the best companies on the net to deal with. Check out my story here, and then check out my SBI! overview.