When it comes to making the most of an online presence, Ollie Brooke from Cloud Concepts Port Macquarie, says that activity and user friendliness are among the biggest stumbling blocks.
Most Businesses Not Getting the Most Out of Online Presence Says Web Developer
Businesses are discovering that they need more than presence on the high street, but Australian SMEs have been slow to get started with building an online presence. “People are changing the way they shop,” says website designer Oliver (Ollie) Brooke, proprietor of Cloud Concepts, “and in Australia, the realisation is only just beginning to dawn among small and medium-sized businesses.”
But, Ollie warns, just having a website isn’t enough. He equates a business’s website to its shopfront: “You maintain your shopfront,” he says, “you put new stock in the window for passers-by to see. You show which brands you can supply, and you keep it looking fresh because you want to attract attention. You need to do something like that with your website too.”
Ollie’s shopfront analogy may be nearer the mark than it may seem. People’s shopping habits no longer include a leisurely stroll down the shopping street and the willingness to visit several stores before finding what they need. Instead, up to 81 percent of people will do an online search before they head out on a shopping expedition.
Clearly, it makes sense to have a website. But, says Ollie, it doesn’t end there. Just because you have a website doesn’t mean you’ve arrived. And if you thought your prospective customers were the only ones to win over, you’re mistaken. Search engines are smart. They’re programmed to give users what they want, and if you aren’t sending them the right signals, your business won’t feature in search.
“A lot of people think there are a bunch of tricks they should be using,” says Ollie, “but there isn’t a magic formula. Instead, it comes down to being user-friendly, relevant, local, and active. These are the three things that search engines are looking for, but a lot of businesses are missing the point.”
When it comes to making the most of an online presence, Ollie says that activity and user friendliness are among the biggest stumbling blocks. “Search engines don’t want to direct users to sites they can’t navigate. Mobile browsing is huge, and mobile friendliness is a criterion if you don’t want to end up with a website that is, to all intents and purposes, invisible.”
Search engines also don’t want to direct users to businesses that have already closed their doors. “A dead website where nothing is ever updated tells search engines your business might be dead too,” explains Ollie. “You do need to add fresh content from time to time, otherwise you aren’t going to feature when people plan their shopping trips.”
Ollie says that keeping a website current doesn’t need to take a lot of time - but small businesses are inclined to overlook basics like checking analytics - and they rarely add fresh content. Just having a website is a good start, but you can’t leave it at that and expect it to be an effective marketing vehicle.
There’s no rule of thumb that works for everyone. Ollie recommends that businesses work with experts who will be able to advise them on how to make an impact and keep on doing so. People shop differently these days, and we need to move with the times. For a brick and mortar store, you talk to property agents. For your online presence, your web designer is the specialist you need in your corner.
Ollie Brooke is director of a full-service website design company, Cloud Concepts. He applies his philosophy of putting customer convenience first to the websites he designs. If you’d like to contact Ollie Brooke about website design or learn more about Great Websites For Small Businesses visit his website or call +61432 362 637.
Written & Syndicated by Baxton Media.
