When the Internet was initially introduced to us, and local businesses were just beginning to use it to promote their business, websites were rather simple. They took on a brochure-style approach with the basics: a homepage, about page, product or service page, contact information, and maybe some links to other relevant sites. Today, all of these pages are still needed, but for an optimized, robust site, so much more can be added to help improve your local business site.
Whether you’ve decided to redesign your local business website, or are in the process of creating your very first website for your local business, some additional content to include on your site in addition to the pages and information listed in the paragraph above include:
- Blogs
- Call-To-Actions
- Landing Pages
- RSS Feeds
- Social Media Sharing
Incorporate, or Link to, Your Business Blog
Many people started out by creating their own blogs to share information, insight, educational content, among other content to share with the world. Today, blogs still used for the same reasons, but can be incorporated into your local business website and be viewed as one of your local business website’s pages.
Utilize Call-to-Actions
A call-to-action can be a great way to convince someone to continue to learn more about a product or service, and should be included on every page of your website. A Call-to-action can be a type of button, banner, graphic, text or other action prompting visitors to click on or complete a form to continue learning or receive something the local business if offering. This is a great tool to help a local business generate more leads.
Use Effective Landing Pages
Landing pages are also a great way to help lead generation. With the right design, you’re able to convince visitors that the products or services you’re offering are worth learning more about and hopefully purchasing.
Consider Incorporating RSS Feeds
With RSS feeds, you’re able to syndicate the content you have for your local business site automatically by utilizing different programs. If people want to get your feed into one place, they are able to do so. Visitors are able to subscribe to an RSS, allowing them to get the update on that specific feed when it’s updated. This is a great way to keep visitors and leads coming back for more.
Integrating Social Media
Sharing with all the social media online today has become a frequent and important concept to many. With social media sharing, buttons can be added to your local business site so visitors are able to “follow” you on twitter or “like” you on Facebook. This share-ability allows you to link your local business page to many of the social media networks you use on a daily basis once you have business accounts with them.
With all of these options, you can spruce up your local business website to generate more leads, increase online visibility and boost search engine rankings. The basics are very important, but the add-ons are vital to keep up with the competition in today’s marketplace.