In my opinion, the Internet is one of the greatest tools every Uncommoner has at their disposal. The Internet allows you to reach an unbelievably wide audience to share your ideas, make important connections, and research your passions. It is also one of the key income sources for many Uncommoner, through either the distribution of information, services, traditional goods.
So whether you are a 60 year old Uncommoner who is selling her homemade cookies through her site, or a 20 something Uncommoner who provides essential information on how to get your music on the radio, it is absolutely imperative to have a business site that not only represents you accurately but also makes you money. Here are some key tips to keep in mind as you create or tweak your successful business website.
Provide Valuable Content
This may seem like a kind of obvious statement, but all you have to do is troll through some random Google results to understand how much junk is floating around in cyberspace.
By providing valuable content to your customers, either in the form of clear product descriptions, blog posts, or carefully crafted articles, will hold the customer’s attention. Longer attention spans means more of an opportunity for them to notice that online course you’re providing or the totally great customized notepads you are selling.
Providing quality content also helps establish you as an authority on whatever you are selling. If you are following the philosophy of The Life Uncommon, you already know that an essential element of succeeding financially from your passions is to create and own a niche. Having worthwhile information on your business site can help reinforce you as the leader in your niche and make you a better source for customers than your competition for whatever you are selling.
Update Regularly
Unfortunately, it isn’t just enough to have good information on your business website – you need to have recent and up to date information.
Updating the content on your site regularly will keep customers coming back to see what’s new, meaning your traffic will be high. Higher traffic means better search engine rankings, which in turn means more traffic and more revenue. It is a cycle that can be either beneficial or hurtful, depending on how much you put into it. Brush up on your SEO techniques here
Another unfortunate fact is that no one can tell you exactly how often is often enough for updating information on your site. Some sites can update only once a week without seeing a major drop in traffic, while others need to update several times a day to keep numbers high. This is an area that you need to feel out for yourself based on your topic and your customer base, but what is certain is you won’t be able to just put up basic content and then leave it alone.
Establish first, Monetize Second
This is a tip that is especially important for first time website creators. The temptation to add advertisements onto your site right from the get go can be great, however it is better to start without ads and establish yourself first.
You hear all these stories about how people make four figures a month from their Google AdSense accounts, however these are typically long term site owners who either have very high monthly traffic or manage multiple sites. The point is they know how to utilize ads in a way that can earn without interfering with the reader’s experience, and I can tell you from my own days online that it is definitely an art, not a science.
It is better to first establish yourself as an authority, provide valuable content, and generate awareness about your product before you introduce ad boxes which can detract from your message and even from your product. Some ads that can appear might be from your competitors, and the last thing you want to do is shoot yourself in the foot by advertising your competition next to your own product!
Don’t Be Distracting
Aside from refraining from flashy ad boxes, all successful business websites stay away from visual elements that are distracting to readers and potential customers. Some things that are distracting to viewers include:
- neon text
- fluorescent backgrounds, or wildly patterned backgrounds
- text that is too big or too small
- text that is unnecessarily bolded, underlined, italicized (or all three)
- Flash boxes (those obnoxious things that have moving words and pictures)
- pop-up advertisements or survey requests
These are but a handful of things which can affect how your customers read your site. The best bet? Start simple and classically elegant, and then add a few bells and whistles here or there one at a time and watch traffic results to see how they work.
Be Yourself
No matter what you are selling or who you are trying to sell it to, BE YOURSELF. Use language that makes sense to you, write in paragraphs that feel natural to you, and choose color schemes, logos, and even product names that you are proud of. The world is full of imitators who are all trying to emulate the latest hot shot, which is why none of them stand out.
Be yourself, present yourself and your ideas and products in a way that is authentic to you, and you will see your business website become a real success.
Here’s to your Uncommon Life,
