Your business website and the rest of your online presence can be a great tool to help you market your business and get more sales. In fact, that is its PURPOSE. Your online presence is simply a platform to share your big message, attract new clients and bring more sales to your business.
If your website isn’t bringing you fabulous new clients and making you money, then it’s not doing its job. Something needs to change so your online presence can be the powerful business-building tool it’s meant to be.
Whether you already have a business website that just needs to be tweaked, or you’re just starting out and need to create one from scratch, these tips will help you get started on the right foot so YOU can Be Irresistible Online.
Your online presence is a powerful marketing tool for your business, and if you aren’t already, you need to take it very seriously. You are an expert in your field, your customers pay you for your professional expertise. Your online presence should reflect that, as well.
Pro Hosting for Your Website
Make sure that your website is set up properly so that you own and control it 100%. This means you will need to pay for a hosting account for your website. You want to make sure that YOU have full control of your online content and can do whatever you want with it. Hosting plans are not expensive ($5-10 per month) and can be fit into even a shoestring budget.
Avoid free website hosting and sites like Blogger, TypePad, or WordPress.com. While the free aspect may be very appealing, your content is on their site and they have the power to remove it at any time if they think you aren’t following their Terms of Service. This is not a good way to run an online business. Make sure your business website is set up on your own hosting account that you pay for and have full control over.
Pro Domain Name and Email Address
You will also need to register your own domain name (example: www.yourbusiness.com) and set up at least one email address with that domain (example: [email protected]).
Avoid free email addresses like Hotmail, Yahoo or Gmail, as well as the email address your ISP gives you. These are all fine to use for a personal email address, but when it comes to your business, you want it to be professional and portray you as the expert you are.
Domain names are typically around $10-15 per year, and I recommend finding a hosting plan that includes multiple or even unted email addresses for free (BlueHost.com is my fav).
Pro Image for You and Your Biz
Perhaps the most important part of going pro with your online presence is the design of your business website. This visual brand is the first thing that potential clients will see of you and your business, and it’s vital that it be an accurate reflection of you and your expertise.
A professional, effective image will make your heart sing AND attract your ideal clients. It will make you look like the amazing goddess you are, with just the solution that your people are looking for. And it will let those people know that you know what you’re doing, and that you can help them to achieve the results they want.
Having a professional design that you love also helps to boost your confidence. When your website makes your heart sing, and you love how it looks, you’ll feel confident sending people there or doing specific marketing strategies on your website. You’ll feel great about people seeing it, instead of feeling shame or embarrassment because you don’t think it’s good enough.
Please do not cheap out here. Hire a design expert to help you create the visual for you and your business. It is well worth the investment to get some professional, outside help with this piece.
Once you have a design that you love, that attracts your ideal clients and portrays you as the go-to gal in your field, then spread it everywhere you can. Your website, Facebook Page, Twitter profile, YouTube channel, business cards, brochures – every piece of your marketing, online and offline, needs to match up with this design. You want to create a consistent look and feel across your entire online presence.
This is your brand, it’s the image that represents you and your business out in the world, and you want to be consistent with that image and message. Not only does this make you look very professional and like you know what you’re doing (which you DO, by the way), it also helps to build that know, like, and trust factor as people see that image around on the web and become familiar with your brand.
As you go pro and take your online presence seriously, other people will take you seriously, as well. You will start to attract more ideal clients and opportunities, and make more money. Not only that, but you’ll feel better about yourself, which will lead to more confidence in your marketing, and will make you more irresistible to your tribe so you can share your big message and make a difference in the world. (And who doesn’t want that?)
Action time: Start to pay attention to the websites that you visit this week and notice which ones stand out to you. Which ones do you feel attracted to, and why? Which ones look like this person must really know what they’re doing, like they are the go-to person for that particular field?
And finally, leave me a comment below and share what you think. Is there anything else you would add, any other tips to really go pro with your business website? And are any of these steps things that you need to work on for your own business? What action are you going to take TODAY to be more PRO with your website?
Image: stevendepolo
Fantastic tips and suggestions, Jess! I can’t wait to read more from you!
Thank you, Susan! 🙂
Great post Jess! A lot of business owners think it will cost an arm and a leg to get a professional site and domain. I think it costs more not to have your own site.