8 New Year Resolutions for Your Small Business Website

The new year is here, and that means it’s time to make resolutions. If you’re like most people, you dedicate some time to making resolutions regarding healthy eating, exercise, or spending more time with your family. This year, add some small business resolutions to the list. These resolutions can help you grow your small business in 2020 and beyond.

New Year Resolutions for Small Business Owners

1. Create a Small Business Website

If you don’t already have a small business website, creating one should be the first resolution on your list. A website allows potential customers to find your business online. You can also use it to connect with your current customers and market your services and products. You can use a website builder, like Wix or Squarespace, to easily create your small business website. Start with a template and then customize your website to your needs. It doesn’t take long to create a website, and once you do, you can attract customers. Read our website builder reviews to decide which brand is best for you.

2. Start a Newsletter or Blog

Do you stay in touch with your market throughout the year? If you’re like a lot of small business owners, the answer is probably “no.” It’s time to change that in 2020. Add a blog to your website or start a newsletter to communicate with your audience. You can put the newsletter on your website and email it to your subscribers.

If you have the time, do both. The more you connect with your market, the easier it will be to increase sales.

3. Increase Your Social Media Presence

Billions of people are on social media, and that includes people in your target market. Make 2020 the year you increase your social media presence so you can grow your small business.

Social media is an excellent way to amplify transparency, and that can translate into more sales. Fifty-three percent of consumers state that they’re likely to consider purchasing from brands that are transparent on social media. That means you need to be open, clear, and honest when posting on social sites so you can reap the rewards.

Also, make sure you connect your social accounts to your website to create a seamless experience. Website builders have social apps you can add to your site. Then, you can showcase your feeds, make it easy for people to share from your site, and more.

4. Make Sure You’re Using the Right Keywords

Keywords are a critical aspect of search engine optimization. The right keyword will help you attract people to your website and blog. Spend some time double-checking your keywords to ensure you are going after the right ones.

While some people pay professionals thousands of dollars to conduct keyword research, you can do it on your own. Use Google’s Keyword Planner to get some ideas. Also, type possible keywords into Google and scroll down to the “People Also Ask” section. This section contains related search terms. Analyze the terms and see if you should include them on your website.

Many website builders, like Wix, include keywords tools such as the user-friendly Wix SEO Wiz. Once you compile a list of keywords, refresh your website. Also, use the terms in your blog posts. Focus on a single key phrase per blog post to get the best results.

5. Focus on Your Local Audience

Do you use your small business website to market a physical location? If so, make sure your site is optimized for local traffic. To begin, include your business’s name, address, and phone number on your site. Make sure it’s written the same as it is on local directories, so Google makes the connection. Your business hours should also be on your website. Also, include some location-based keywords on your website.

You can also use your blog to pull in local traffic. Talk about upcoming events and tie them into your business. Then, your site will attract lots of local traffic that will file into your physical location.

6. Make Sure Your Site Is Mobile-Ready

Is your small business website mobile-ready? A mobile-ready website functions on both mobile and desktop devices. The website is reformatted to fit mobile devices, so it’s just as functional on phones and tablets as it is on desktop computers. Since more than half of internet users browse the web with mobile devices, getting your site up to speed is critical for the new year.

In the past, you had to hire a designer to create a mobile-friendly website for you. Now, it’s easy to optimize your website for mobile. Various website builders have different mobile-friendly options. For example, SITE123 has responsive layouts you can use for your website. These templates automatically respond to the device that’s used to access the site, so your site will display beautifully regardless of the size of the device.

7. Upgrade Your Website’s Security

Site security should be next on your resolution list. More than 50,000 websites get hacked every day, and many of those belong to small business owners. Begin by switching to the HTTPS protocol. Website builders make it easy to enable the HTTPS security protocol on your website. For example, if you’re using Wix, go to your site’s dashboard and scroll down to HTTPS. Click “Manage” and then turn on HTTPS. Click “Continue” to save your settings.

Wix and other website builders also have security measures in place to protect website owners from hackers. Review the security protocols to make sure you’re using a top website builder for your small business website. As a small business owner, this is critical.

8. Improve Your Customer Service

Providing the best customer service should be a top business goal each year. While many business owners set this business goal, most of them only focus on in-store service. Customer service should extend to your website. Give your customer service a boost by letting people contact you on your site. Consider including a live chat plugin on your site so you can interact with customers in real-time. Wix and other website builders have live chat plugs that are easy to integrate. Don’t worry about manning the live chat at all times. You can set away times so people will know when you can be reached on live chat.

Reach Your Small Business Goals in 2020

As a small business owner, you want to reach as many people as possible. Your customers are the lifeblood of your business, and you can increase your reach with the right small business website. Once you create a website, fine-tune it so you can reach and serve your customer base. These resolutions will help you have the best year yet in 2020.