If you operate a business or offer a service to provide to others, making a website is the first step toward raising visibility of your image. After you have designed your website, the next step is getting traffic. Getting your name out into the public eye can be a challenge at first. However, with a few smart choices, you can be well on your way toward your first meaningful business interactions. Read on to find five ways to best market your website and ensure it is ready for business.
1. Ensure your website is safe and secure
Before you start marketing your website and engaging with potential clients, make sure your site is protected from potential cyberattacks and data breaches. Protection includes anti-malware software, encryption and systems like SSL. What is SSL? SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer and is a way to keep internet connections between clients and servers secure. Over the years, SSL has been built upon and has been given updated protocols such as TLS, or Transport Layer Security. By having a secure site and the ability to take precautions against infiltration or loss of data, you will not only ensure a safe environment for your business transactions, but can also indicate to your clients that your site is secure and reliable.
2. Use search engine optimization
Search engine optimization, or SEO, is one of the more important ways of getting your site recognized by search engines, and therefore available to more people. One of the first steps toward proper SEO implementation involves using specialized keywords letting your site show up on common searches. A focus on following trends and having impactful written content on your site can make use of SEO and increase your prominence online.
3. Establish a social media presence
One of the best ways of establishing a name for yourself online is by utilizing social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook. Here, you can market yourself and raise awareness of the services you provide. For example, if you are a freelance artist, showing samples of your work on social media can easily showcase your skills to the world. By pushing all of your newest updates to your site on social media, you can keep followers up to date and maintain awareness of your site’s features.
4. Keep your website modern and accessible
A sleek, modern website makes a great first impression. A website that is pleasing to the eye and easy to use can also capture the attention of a larger audience. Ensuring that your website is easy to access on all kinds of devices is important, as computers and mobile devices are used equally. Designing a separate mobile version of your page that adapts the screen to phones and other mobile devices while maintaining an easily understandable look can help your site reach users on all platforms. Also, keep accessibility features in mind. Such features accommodate people with certain disabilities, such as using text large enough for anyone to read, removing distracting animations that could affect photosensitive users and adding subtitles to any videos with spoken language for people hard of hearing or without audio enabled on their devices.
5. Engage with your intended audience
Establish a friendly and accessible presence in circles relevant to your field. Keep your social media pages active, engage with the community and join online groups to increase your network’s reach. By making your image and what you offer visible, you can spread the awareness of your website and increase word of mouth, ultimately bringing in more traffic. If you already have a following on social media, mention your skills to gauge interest in anyone who follows you. This could spread your services to people that might have a need for your work.
With effort and patience, you can grant your website more attention. Stay committed and regularly maintain your site, and you may find yourself acquiring the traffic you need.
