Jumpstart Your Business

I had the pleasure of meeting some great people and participating in “Jumpstart Your Business” educational workshop.  Here’s an excerpt of the presentation I made:

So, what should you be considering when creating a web site for your business?

A few short years ago the model to follow was easy! Create a web site that will stand out in the crowd and be easily found on search engines. It needed to look good on a desktop or a laptop. You could have FLASHY graphics or even music on your site. Basically, your visitor was at a desk, at work or at home, searching for your services.

I’m here to let you know, that’s all changed! The computer is no longer your only path to bring potential clients to your website! Mobile devices are here and here in a big way! Your potential customers are searching for you on their phones or tablets, from theirs cars, the restaurants they are at, in the doctor’s waiting room, or by the pool.

Furthermore, they aren’t looking for you on search engines only!

They are using the apps on their mobile devices. They are looking on Facebook and twitter and linked in. They are reading reviews about you on Yelp and Google Places. They are looking for ways to CHECK IN to your location.

No longer are FLASHY web sites desirable. Clean designs that translate well on the handheld device and the 32 inch monitor are needed. Apple does not install FLASH players on any of its iPhones or iPads. That’s 125 million potential customers that would see NOTHING on your site if they found it on their Apple mobile device.

So, what do you need to focus on to make your business web site competitive in today’s web world?  Here are a few tips:

• Use WordPress based web sites when possible. These platforms allow you to do simple updates on your own and have the latest technology for mobile devices.
• BLOG! WordPress also has built-in blog capabilities. Blogging is the best way to add fresh content to your site.
• Social media – At the very least, get a Facebook business page, a twitter account, a linked in account and YELP. Make sure all of these links are on your website. With a little help in set up, you can post on your blog, link that blog post on Facebook, have Facebook automatically TWEET, then that TWEET can appear on your Linked in page!
• Finally, make sure your site is designed in a clean, search engine friendly way! No FLASH; just a simple site that calls your visitors to action. For example, if you have the option to receive payments on your site, make sure PAY NOW is front and center!

All of this combined will increase your visibility on Search Engines. No longer does only your web site appear in your search results. You blogs post, your social media pages and your review will all appear as well.

In terms of web design, no longer just think about those customers sitting at a desk somewhere.  Think about all the people using mobile to find you!