Business Development – How To Generate More Business

If you have a website already, that’s great.

The main thing to ask yourself is whether it is doing exactly what you want it to do? If you’re in business and don’t yet have a website, then you are limiting your business significantly.

I’m not a web designer so I’m not trying to sell you web development but I do know what works and what makes a website do what you want it to do.

There is so much to cover in this area alone, but here are a few main points to help you get the most from your website for your business. Some of the points may go against what may be considered the norm, but they’re based on what works and what I’ve tested personally.

1. Decide what the purpose of your site is.

   Is it to provide information, make sales, or generate leads. Whatever the purpose is, it’s important that you start with that in mind before you develop your website. What is it that you want your website to do?

2. Don’t use flash.

   Flash is typically used where you see images changing on a website. Keep it to a minimum at least. At the moment flash cannot be viewed on mobile devices like the iPhone or iPad. There is a steady increase in the number of users using these devises to view websites and therefore you are limiting your customer reach. It’s important that your website is smart phone friendly.

3. Keep images to a minimum.

   It is important to keep whatever may be distracting to a visitor to a minimum. While images will make your site ‘look’ well, what purpose are the images serving?

4. Use a white background.

   Google is seen as the search engine of choice by many, which uses a white background with a simple box to enter your search criteria. If a user is going from a Google search page to a website that is in a solid colour with a lot of distracting images and layout, you are not making it easier for the visitor to navigate through the process you want them to follow.

5. Keep the number of clicks to a minimum.

   The more actions you are asking the visitor to make, the more you are making it harder to buy. Keep it simple.

6. Make your website relevant to your target market.

   I’m sorry to say, it’s not about you, it’s about your visitor. Provide relevant information that is of value and of benefit to your visitor. Think of the times you are searching for something – you want to find relevant and valuable information that matches your search.

7. Have your site found.

   It’s one thing building a website, it’s another thing to have it found by the search engines and have it appear on the first page of Google or other search engines. The main areas to look out for here are your keywords, metatags, links, and building content.

As I said there is so much that I could cover in this area to teach you what it takes to really make your website work for you. These are the main areas you need to consider first and it is worth discussing with your web developer to implement soon. Why not set an appointment in your diary now to have that discussion this week so that it gets actioned sooner rather than never!