As the trend becomes reality, most people are eliminating their home phone service for cell phones. And since cell phone numbers are not published, the need for a telephone book is diminishing. So think about it, without the local “yellow pages”, how are people going to find out about your business? And how much is the advertising in the phone book?
A website is the most important tool you will purchase for your small business. Your online presence is affordable and cost effective for your business. It is also one of the first things you will see a measured ROI (return on investment) from. And as your business grows, so will traffic to your website, so you want to make sure that your website can be easily upgraded and modified as the needs of your business change.
Competition
Even in a small town, there is competition for your business. Think about restaurants. Do they have a website? Is their current menu on the site? Do they offer catering? Are there pictures? When you design your website, check out the competition. Is their site easy to navigate? What would you do differently?
Open For Business
Brick & mortar locations are destinations. And being able to “shop” or browse your websites before they visit is a great benefit. You can be open for business every day around-the-clock. And if you offer services, then include a form on your website for people to fill out and you can get back to them even after store/business hours. The form comes right to the e-mail you designate.
Sales
Your website is an extension of your store location. You can offer products for sale through your website, especially if you sell items that are not available elsewhere. You can work with a packaging company to help you box up your merchandise and ship it as you sell it. And this is an added plus when tourists visit your store, because now you can let them know that items are available online also, creating repeat sales and increased volume for your business.
Search Engines
As your business continues to grow, so will your online presence. And by using the right keywords, you can gain great positions on the internet above your competition!
Contact and email
A contact page and email address makes it easy for potential customers to get in touch with you. As your business and services change, the contact page should be updated to include all of this information.
Social Media
Use social media to increase your business exposure even more. Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook are the three largest sites that can help you with your business.
This is the beginning of a series on using WordPress as your business website platform. Keep posted.
Related articles
- Three steps to make your business stand out online (techburgh.com)
