How To Future-Proof Your Small Business

Businesses of today differ from even just 10 years ago. People nowadays are more confident in trusting online businesses, especially in the advent of Lazada, Shopee, HonestBee, and even Facebook Marketplace; apps and services that heavily rely on the web.

As a small business owner, how do you compete? How do you know that the online presence of your business is on par with so many other competitions, big and small?

Be Socially Omnipresent

Make sure that you are present in all social media that is relevant to your nature of business. The keyword here is relevant—you don’t need to be in all of them, just the ones that are relevant to what you sell and what you offer. For example, a bakery would likely benefit from having an Instagram account, since photos of their cupcakes and pastries would entice potential customers. A hardware store, however, might not need an Instagram account.

Be In Charge of Your Own Turf

If you only rely on social media and blog sites for your web presence, you are missing out a lot. Having your own turf—A.K.A., your own website—helps you a lot in being on top of that search result, as you are in control of all the keywords and how your own website looks like and how it works. This type of freedom cannot be achieved by just using social media, as they tend to look all uniform. Having your own website lets you stand out from the sea of other small business owners.

Be Mobile-Friendly

Check that your website loads perfectly on mobile devices, especially on smartphones. If your website loads the same way it loads on a desktop computer, chances are, you might want to optimize your site for mobile users; or better yet, this might be the perfect opportunity to redesign it.

Be Speedy

Make sure that your website or online store loads fast. Studies show that your website should load within or less than 3 seconds, or the average visitor will simply click away. The perfect load time for a website is within 0.5 to 2 seconds. Find out how to redesign your website for speed.

Be Reachable

If someone Googles your website, do your business contact details appear first? You have to make sure that it’s easy for your potential clients to contact you, especially on search results. Also, on your website, make sure that you have easy options for your visit to contact you, either via an online form or a click-to-call button. If your business has a physical space, make sure to provide an online map.

Be Trustworthy

Does your online presence (your social media and your website or online store) present you as reliable and honest? For example, if you are a finance-related business, does your website imply that your services can be trusted or is experienced? Or, if you are a cafe, do photos of your food appear fresh and delicious?

Are the text in your social media and website in correct grammar, and is spelled correctly? Do your advertisement graphics look professional, or does it look like it is made on Microsoft PowerPoint? Maybe it’s time to hire someone who knows how to improve your social media and website graphics.