Starting an online business or starting to focus on growth? If you answered “yes,” you are certainly in the right place. Discovering how to improve your online business can seem overwhelming, but luckily many options cost nothing and offer huge returns! Let’s explore a few of these options.
- Publish Honest Copy
It’s easy to say that your product or service is “best” or the “first-ever,” but is this true. Making broad, sweeping statements about your product is OK, but only if it can be proven. Because customers are drawn to these types of declarations, they are more likely to question them, especially if they’ve been browsing and seen similar claims before. Long story short, be honest about your product, what benefit it provides, and how customers will use it to better their lives in a real way.
- Highlight Customer Reviews
Most customers look first to other customer reviews before making a purchase. If you’ve published honest copy, your customer reviews will back up your claims and give glowing and in-depth reviews of your product. This type of marketing is worth its weight in gold, and you will want to feature good reviews prominently on your page. Choose well-written reviews from a customer who best represents your target market, and use these reviews as a way to reach new customers!
- Remember Call to Action
Never underestimate the power of a call to action in the right place! Once a customer has decided to purchase, the right buttons must be easy to find and prominent on each page. The last thing you want is a motivated customer searching your page for a missing or hidden button that will take them directly to check-out or the next step in the purchase process. Instead, try including a call to action and a corresponding button after each paragraph for maximum impact.
- Offer Fewer Choices
Choice paralysis is real, resulting in many online businesses offering fewer products and options! Customers are less likely to make a decision when there are too many options. Typically, customers find too many options overwhelming, and it raises questions about the slight differences between the products and which is right for each customer. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to simplify and pare down your offerings and make your most popular products or services easier to find and purchase.
- Target New Audiences
Growth is impossible without finding new audiences, making it vital to target new audiences that are right for your business. Start by looking at your competition to see what customers they might be targeting that you could benefit from. Using different platforms for marketing will be a key here, as different groups of customers feel most comfortable on different platforms and with different formats. Using an array of payment methods at this stage is a good idea to ensure no potential customer base is left out when it comes to payment. Finally, directing customers to third-party tools like the USPS Shipping Calculator gives your company and product credibility and lets customers know that you are serious about their happiness in every purchase process, from shopping to shipping!
- Get Good at SEO
Search engine optimization is a great way to get your name out there and appear higher up in Google search rankings. The closer you are to the number one spot on Google or any other search engine, the more attention you attract from potential customers. SEO goes well beyond just good writing and a sprinkling of keywords. You will want to use links to reputable sites to give your site increased authority, an essential element for Google when it decides webpage ratings.
- Provide Useful Content
Providing helpful content about your product or service and related topics is a great way to become an influencer or thought leader in your market space. For example, try posting new blog posts regularly, dealing with issues your customers might face. Contributing as an expert to other blogs or online publications is another great way to help your business become an authority in your chosen field.
Any growth and success can be inspiring, especially when starting an online business. Luckily, there are many low-cost options and best practices out there, proven to take your business from zero to hero in very little time. So do the research today to help improve your online business performance with a few quick and easy changes and updates, and good luck out there!
