If you have a business, it’s natural to want to grow it. After all, that’s why you’re in business, right?
While it isn’t easy to do, it is very doable. However, you do need a lot of planning as well as use tools and resources geared to maximize productivity and efficiency, and ultimately increase your profits.
There are many tips that can help your small business grow, ranging from working more productively, to improving your web design and marketing strategies.
Here are some tools and resources that can help your small business grow.
1. Search engine optimization (SEO)
As a business, you should regularly optimize your website for search engines. This involves search engine optimization (SEO). If you don’t have the skills needed, contact experts to do it for you.
2. Internal link tools
URLs are very important when it comes to ranking higher in search results. When you optimize your URLs effectively, search engines will be able to find your website easily.
As much as your website is SEO friendly, it’s also important that it be user-friendly. Properly optimized URLs can tell your visitors what your web page is about. This will improve their user’s experience which could translate into them staying longer and even converting into regular customers.
3. Keyword finders
You should do a thorough keyword research and choose the right ones for your website. Use keyword finders and map out your keywords to help you with planning your keywords. This will prevent you from common errors like optimizing two pages for the same keyword accidentally.
Finding the right keywords that relate to internet users’ search queries can greatly improve your website’s search rankings.
4. Broken link checker
Have you ever clicked on a website page and gotten an “Error 404 — Page Not Found’’ message? It probably frustrated you, and you probably won’t be back to that website.
You wouldn’t want your customers to experience that, would you? Though 404 errors rarely affect your search engine rankings, they can have a negative effect on your website visitors.
To avoid this headache, use the Broken Link Checker plugin to detect whether you have any broken links on your website and fix them.
5. Email marketing
Email marketing involves sending a commercial message directly to a group of people using email. Though small businesses usually don’t use it, it is a very good way of marketing your brand and attaining an income stream.
6. Social media automation
Social media is one of the best platforms a business can use to build a strong relationship and share content with their customers.
When used effectively, social media can produce double the market leads of trade shows, telemarketing, or direct mail.
Most of the social media platforms have tools that are designed to help you manage your accounts easily so that you can be more proactive in promoting your business. It is best to choose a network that your customers use and fill it with relevant content regularly.
7. Google Analytics
Analytic tools are very important when you want to know who is visiting your websites and online profiles. You can use Google Analytics. Some of the important things that you will know with it include:
- The content that is performing well
- The best-converting keywords
- The direction of your best-converting traffic
- The best converting landing pages
- The best performing channels in case of an eCommerce business
8. SEO Friendly Images
Most websites have a high number of images on their pages. Images are a great traffic generator since many people are increasingly using image search to find things they want.
Having very good images is not enough, though. You also need to also use relevant and unique keywords for every image on your website using tools like the WordPress plugin SEO Friendly Images.
9. Pay-Per-Click advertising
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising is a cost-efficient way of marketing your business. With this method, you purchase specific keywords from a search engine on a PPC basis.
When you do this, your website will appear in the paid results section of searches containing your chosen keyword or phrase. You pay only when an internet user clicks on the link in your ad.
10. LinkedIn
LinkedIn is one of the most popular professional networking websites that a business can use not only to market itself and grow, but also to connect with others in the field.
More tips to make your small business grow
Keep detailed records
In order to grow your business, you need to know how it is doing. Detailed records will help you to know where your business is standing financially and what strategies you can implement to improve it.
Brand yourself
Since there are thousands of businesses worldwide selling the same products and services you may have, you will need to make your personal brand one-of-a-kind for it to stand out from the rest.
Starting from the name of your company to your domain name and your web design, you need to ensure that everything in your business remains unique to attract customers.
Stay focused
It could take some time for a business to grow and rake in profits. As a business owner, you need to stay focused on achieving your goals and objectives and everything else will fall into place.
Always keep improving
To grow, you need to keep up with the ever-changing technology to stay relevant. This ranges from acquiring new innovative assets to benefit your business and your customers, to new ideas that can improve your bottom line.
From time to time, you need to improve your web design, too, to be responsive to customers’ feedback.
No website yet? Create a professional website in 60 seconds or less with Bookmark.
Originally published at www.bookmark.com on September 5, 2017.
