Your Small Business Website is the Core of Your Marketing Strategy
Today more than ever it’s important for you, as a professional, to have a well-optimized website for your business. And when I say website, I don’t mean a FaceBook page, although you should have one of those also.
The Base of Your Marketing Starts with a Well-Optimized Website
All small businesses, gig workers, freelancers, professionals, consultants, and coaches should have a well-optimized basic website. This is where all your marketing will flow to and from.
For starters a website is the crux of your digital footprint.
Think of your business marketing strategy as a steering wheel The center, the support of it all, is your well-optimized website. Social media, newsletters, mailing lists, videos, search engines, etc. are all various spokes on the wheel that lead you to customers, or customers to you (it works as a two-way street.)
What Does it Mean to Have a “Well Optimized Website”?
The short version is that a well-optimized business website helps people find you and want to contact you.
Sounds easy, right? Yeah, no. It takes planning, execution, and the willingness to try various attempts to yield the best results.
Where Does a Small Business Start Its Marketing Strategy?
Your business should start with a website that looks professional, legitimate, has relevant information, is optimized for search engines, has the proper links, has an SSL address, collects emails with a lead capture piece, and it also has at least the following pages:
- Home
- About
- [Type of] Services
- Contact Us
- Privacy Policy & Other Legal Pages if needed
Whew! That doesn’t sound so easy. You’re going to need a professional.
What Happens After I have My Well-Optimized Website?
This is where part of the magic of branding works. Once you have your logo, your colors, and the look and feel of your brand (which would be worked out in web development), you can now make your social media match to your newly branded look. And so the well-oiled wheel turns.
Okay, So Why Do I Need a Professional?
About the website, you should read 7 reasons why you business needs a website. And now you’re thinking why do I need a professional to help me put up social media artwork and set up my account? I can do that myself.
Yes, you can. And then you’ll find that your artwork will be out of proportion or the words will get cut off when viewed on mobile (roughly 50% of your visitors). Or you’ll notice the extra touch that the professional branding presents. It also makes it easier for you to concentrate on putting your voice out there.
Can’t I Use a Google or Facebook Page as My Website?
Let’s be clear, your business website is not a Facebook page or a free Google webpage. All of those are necessary components that will lead people to find your legitimate website, with a domain name that matches your business. They are support pages on the steering wheel of setting up a powerful marketing plan based on honest practices.
TL;DR: Your professional business needs a well-developed website to allow more clients to find you, so you can help them.