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More & more small business websites are making their way onto the world wide web. No longer do small businesses need reminding the importance of a web presence. They get it.

But what then?

Too many small businesses are regarding their website as a business card or brochure. But just take a moment. How many business cards, brochures & stamps can you buy for the price of a website? Then it stands to reason that a website should be taken a little more seriously. Just leaving it there is like having one VERY expensive business card. Yet it can be so much more!

Simply put…. Websites need to be worked! Here’s 5 reasons why.

1. Content needs to kept fresh

Websites need to have content refreshed regularly. Search engines thrive on new content, and get bored & can ignore old content. Getting a blog attached to your current website is an excellent idea. Blogging is a great way of updating content and keeping visitors returning.

Example:
You’ve had a website sitting there stagnant for a few months or longer, and your competitor has just written a blog or a press release about something new that is happening within their business. Along comes a search engine, notices that there is new content on your competitors website and has stopped to have a look around. It comes to your website, nothing new, so moves on. Other bloggers may have found what your competitor had to say as interesting and have linked to it. Your competitor now has ranking and possibly on the first page of search results. Your website could probably been on page 10+.

2. Watch trends and seasons

The web is like real life, it has trends and seasons based on what people are doing. By watching these trends and seasons you can focus your website on common factors that can increase your visitor hit rate. If an economic downturn is favouring particular goods or services, then your front page should reflect goods or services that are more in tune with what is selling.

Example:
You are a skin care retailer and it is winter, your front page should be reflecting skin care that is required more in winter. You are a car retailer and the price of fuel is up, then your front page should reflect more economical cars. If you are a travel shop & the exchange rate sucks, push your local travel locations and bargains to be had at home.

3. Get talked about

Never before has social networking been so important to a business. People are talking to each other from all corners of the globe more than they ever have, and this number is increasing as news of travels. When people ask on social network sites like Twitter regarding your product or service, be the one they talk about for all the right reasons. However, it doesn’t stop there. You need to be part of these communities if possible, and be accessible to people. If you can’t then have a business page on the social network. Talk about special services, special rates, conferences, etc., and become part of the community.

Example:
A business owners wife is a regular user of Facebook & he asks her to send out a status update “We want to get a website built”. Her friends, friend got a website built by certain developers… so she recommends them. Someone else has heard good reports about them, so express their approval. Some one else recommends a web hosting company. Some recommend where to register their domain. Another friend tell of a good web marketer. The original business owner had to do nothing to get contractors other than get his wife to mention it on just one social network.

4. Be Noticed – But for the RIGHT reasons

Word of mouth is still a very powerful tool when it comes to your business and your business’s website. When people visit your website you want it to be memorable. However, you want to be remembered for the right things, not the bad points. User will always compare products and services, so make sure that by the time they reach the next website that yours has left a memorable impression. It might even be time to polish up on certain areas of your website.

Example:
I’m searching for new release DVD’s and there are an overwhelming amound of DVD’s online stores out there. So I shop around for the best prices. The first website has lots of flash animations on it, but I am having trouble finding where the new releases are. The second website I go to I can’t find their terms and conditions. The third website has their delivery charges buried within the shopping cart process, so I have to order before I know how much it is going to cost to send it to me. I end up begrudgingly buying the DVD from one online store, but am so annoyed at the whole process that I have bad mouthed that online store to everyone.

5. Leave it to the professionals

Working a website can be time intensive. Following blogging, following trends, social networking and upgrading your website and content can take time. Getting your website out there and performing in search engines is very time intensive. There are many formulas and practices that the professionals have adopted over time that streamlines this process for them. They also live and breath networking and marketing, so they know the market better than anyone. Often it is necessary to hand your website over to the professionals to make it all it can be.

Example:
A security company is finding that they have a heavy market of security specialists in all fields to compete with and really aren’t sure how to deal with them. How can they get their website to be in the top ten results on Google when someone looks up security? The top 10 is full of computer security, home security, business security, etc., where do you fit in?

Are you now shaking your head thinking it’s all just too much?? Your right, it is. It’s the World Wide Web, and it’s getting bigger all the time! If you want to compete with your competitors, then the time to do something is now!

Getting a website was step one. Now it’s time to make it more than a glorified business card. There is no better time to work your brand than now. We’re on our way out of this economic crisis, don’t miss out!