Is Your Business Struggling To Maintain It's Web Presence?

According to this 2017 website survey, many businesses are struggling to maintain an effective web presence through their website. Why?

• *  Many smaller businesses don't have a website to begin with, or they use social media in place of a fully functioning website.

• *  Not all websites are optimised for mobile, cutting out a high volume of possible traffic to their business.

• *  Low-income businesses are not investing time and money into running a website because of the cost involved.

The survey goes into greater depth and is recommended reading, especially if you identify with any of the above.

Put simply, in 2018 you need to have a website. This is how many businesses run their operations today, not only to sell their product but to add to their marketing strategies as well.  But time and money need to be invested. It's no good throwing something together, perhaps with a free website builder, and hoping that site visitors will become customers. You need to focus on producing something of high-quality and worth to consumers, as you may elevate the risk of business failure otherwise.

To improve your web presence, you need to focus on the following.

• Get a website. Whether you use a free website builder, a paid package, or create a website of your own (perhaps with the help of a web designer), ensure you do have a website online in the first place. And when your website is online, remember the thousands of people connecting to the internet from their smartphones, and optimize your website accordingly. Link your social media from this one hub, and utilize SEO practices to improve your site's search engine rankings.

• Reorganize your site. If your website isn't fulfilling its duty (you aren't generating enough customers), you need to make some changes. Run a site audit (perhaps through staff or customer surveys), and if there any flaws within your website, start the reorganization process. If you have the technical know-how, use the templates provided by Microsoft Visio, create a sitemap to brainstorm your ideas, and reorganise your site's content accordingly. Microsoft's support pages offer guidance, and this guide to understanding the Microsoft Visio Interface will also help you with the process. Alternatively, seek the advice of a professional web designer, and work with them to produce something that is guaranteed to improve the UX (user experience) rather than distract from it, giving your customers a website worth revisiting.

• Commit to training. Rather than outsourcing to a web designer, it may be worth your while investing in training for your staff. This will ensure your website can be continually updated according to consumer and web design trends, and you will have the benefit of trained staff on hand to deal with bugs and flaws that may be found in the website down the line. Alternatively, hire people who are already qualified in web design onto your team.

• Refresh your website's content. To maintain a steady stream of traffic to your website, you need to focus on the content. This simple infographic will show you how. From the images you use to the blog you write, continually update your content to make a return trip back to your website interesting and relevant. Hire or train staff to work on the website, or outsource to the relevant others, including web designers and copywriters.

To maintain your web presence, concentrate on the above. It is your way of staying relevant in the business world, as you may struggle to match your competitors if you don't. As you will understand from the survey, those businesses who haven't maintained their presence on the internet, or who haven't bothered with uploading a website online in the first place, will struggle to remain at the forefront of their industry. Don't let this happen to you.