So you’re a business owner and you most probably wonder how to reach more customers and your website can be a secret weapon to achieve just that, time to contact your web designer. Your website needs to be well-designed, it needs to communicate clearly and it needs to get the conversions you need to keep customers rolling in. Let’s explore how a strong website presence can take your local reach to the next level.
1. Local SEO: Your Ticket to Visibility
Local SEO is where you should always start whether you have an established business or a brand new one. Local SEO is the act of literally getting your business on the map. If someone searches in Google “plumber near me” you want the first shop to pop up. That doesn’t happen without the necessary work put into the business’s website. Optimizing keywords, adding your location details, and creating location pages on your website are just some of the key features needed for your business website to stand out.
It’s super key to make sure your business hours, phone number, and address are easy to find. Far too often the contact number can’t be easily found on a website, it’s simple, yet effective. It’s important for people to be able to easily find you. It is worth mentioning that Local SEO also involves getting your Google Business Profile up and running, so be sure to have your Business Profile up and and make sure it clearly communicates.
2. Create Engaging Content That Speaks Directly to Locals
We’ve said it many times on this site “content is king,” but engaging content is royalty with a megaphone.
To truly connect with your community, your website needs to speak their language. That could mean blogging about local events, sharing insider tips on local trends, or even highlighting other businesses nearby. When you provide useful content, people keep coming back and when they come back, they’re more likely to become loyal customers.
This is where a professional web designer can help craft your site so your content shines through the use of News Events and Blog posts on your website. You would also wish to consider having a Social Media and Marketing expert help create ideas and think of ways to keep users engaged.
3. User Experience That Keeps Customers Coming Back
User experience includes things such as fast load time, easy-to-find Calls to Action; contact information is easy to find; and a very user-friendly navigation.
Have you ever landed on a website that made you feel like you’re in a maze with no clear call to action or proper navigation? It’s frustrating and you probably couldn’t care to go any further. A site with good user experience makes visitors stick around longer, this means they are actively seeing what you offer and this is a good sign. Chances of a user engaging on your site for longer than 2 minutes is a high chance they will convert into a paying customer.
Your website is a marketing tool, if it doesn’t offer what the customer needs then it’s just a poor return on investment. A skilled web designer can make this possible for you.
4. Trust and Credibility
Would you trust a business that looked messy and unkempt if you walked through the front door? Your website could leave a very similar impression on a user. It’s often the first thing people see when they search for a local business. A polished, modern-looking website can greatly help with instant credibility.
But building trust doesn’t start with looks. Your website should make customers feel at ease, especially if you’re handling online transactions or collecting personal info. That’s why having security features like an SSL certificate is non-negotiable. When visitors see that little padlock symbol that reads “Site Is Secure,” they know their data is in safe hands. Browsers will instantly give the user a red flag at the top left corner that reads “not secure.” Any web developer worth their salt would make sure of this.
5. Collecting, Engaging, and Answering Your Customers
As a business owner, I’m sure you know how valuable customer service is.
Far too often I’ve seen business owners not treating customer engagement as customer service. The simple act of answering a phone call is part of customer service, they may not be a paying customer yet, but answering questions, emails, and calls is vitally important. I’ve witnessed businesses getting negative reviews for simply not answering their emails or phone calls. I’ve even seen business owners requesting said reviewers to take down the negative reviews because “they never serviced them.”
More on engagement: focus on building your audience through social media, newsletters, and most importantly; excellent service delivery. It’s wise to offer something on your website that’s hard to say no to. For a user to have access to your newsletter, they need to subscribe. If you have a growing blog, consider opening it to comments, then only subscribed users can comment. You can get creative with this stuff.
