Owning your first website is exciting, but like anything new there are learning curves. Below are some common challenges firs time web owners face and ways to conquer them head on!
Future proofing. We all know that in order to get noticed as a business now days you need a website and we all want to come out all guns blazing, but the reality is sometimes the budget just isn’t there in the businesses’ infancy and you have to start small but dream big.
There is nothing wrong with starting with a basic website with the vision to improve as you grow – in fact this is a sensible option. In order to make sure you website can facilitate this, having an out of the box solution / template is not the way to ensure the site will grow with you, you will probably find you have to start all over again with a brand new website to add functionality in the future.
The way around this is to start with a basic yet custom built website – this means adding functionality down the track won’t be an issue and all the hard work you put in won’t be for not.
I’m good at what I do but I’m no writer. One of the biggest hurdles small business owners can face is writing about how great they are.
You may be the world’s best plumber or hairdresser etc. but where to start on writing effective content for your website?
Content is one of the major elements of your site in terms of positioning on search engines and customer engagement so this is one part of your business where you should consider investing in a professional copywriter to ensure clear delivery of your core business message.
My market is so competitive! A big challenge for small business in particular is the level of competitors they have and on top of that competitors that have huge marketing budgets! This is a challenge I discuss with business owners all the time, the way to address this is to instead of focusing on the level of competition you have, instead focus on your competitive edge. Take advantage of your competitor’s weaknesses and focus on your strengths. Once you understand you clearly defined differences you can market your advantages to your target market.
Marketing in a competitive market also means thinking outside the box. Don’t limit yourself to just SEO and Google Adwords, consider trying a PR Agency, attend our brand and marketing workshops to clearly understand how to position yourself in the market, use print media, email marketing etc.
My content doesn’t look polished. When your site was handed over it looked so great, yet whenever you go to add new content it doesn’t seem to look as polished. A web design agency will always take a consultative approach with their clients. Don’t be afraid to ask them where you are going wrong. It might be the way you are laying out your content, the imagery might be letting you down or it could be the colours or fonts you have added. Sometimes it’s worth investing in having a few custom graphics designed that you can use through your website to add that missing element.
I don’t get social marketing but I know I need it! As a business owner you have enough to do in a day and now you need to find even more time in your day to update all of your social marketing platforms. Or do you?
Social marketing has proven itself as a huge marketing tool for many, many businesses so it shouldn’t be overlooked but that’s not to say you have to do all the work. Your business can really profit from investing in a managed social marketing campaign. Let the people who know social manage it all for you so you can sit back and reap the benefits!
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