More than 60% of small businesses do not own a business domain, with 25% of those that are online failing to show up in search results. Consumers are always looking for deals, and much of this research is performed online, so it is critical to have a presence with a small business website. Once you have secured your services domain, there are a few things you can do to help promote yourself and your website online.
With 85% of consumers searching for small businesses online, building a search friendly website is the most important initial step to take. This starts with a premium business domain, which search engines value and consumers can easily recall. By selecting a business domain that is one of your target keywords, you will easily rank highly for that term, capturing traffic with more ease.
Social media can also be a great channel to utilize, especially for small, local businesses, where a sense of community can be important to your customer. Posting to social media is also a completely free marketing tool, which makes it a win-win vehicle to try. 86% of small business owners find Facebook to be a valuable source for marketing their business services domain.
Consumers are more and more frequently on the go, and subsequently mobile shopping is becoming more common. Having a mobile-friendly business website is critical, and will allow you to secure a sale where a non-mobile competitor will not. 66% of smartphone owners use their phones to help make purchasing decisions, with 38% actually using them while they are in the physical store.
Online marketing spend is growing every year, so ensure your business website can be found by your customers and secure a premium business domain. Once you have your domain, promote it. These are a few suggestions that can help to get your started, and help to bring the revenue flowing in.
You may have a name for your new business in mind, however with everything online now, it is important to consider the availability of this name as a business domain as well. Before you fall in love with a business name or start branding your company, check if the business domain name is available to register or is for sale on the aftermarket. It's important to consider this because over 98 million .com domains have been registered globally already.
Other factors to consider when choosing a name for your business website include the product, the audience, the future of your company, and the current landscape. Your name should match the type of product you are selling and the feel and tone of the company. Do you want your business services domain to be sleek and serious, or homemade and personal? The name should also appeal to the audience, and considering a poll of friends and colleges could help decide between a few options of business domain names.
Finally, the present and future of your business should factor in. You, again, want to make sure that the name you are thinking of is not something that is already taken. Do a Google search on the brand name to ensure it isn't already tied to a business domain. Also think about how your name will grow with your business. Your business services domain could expand over time and spin off into something different, but you'll want to always reference the name you started with, so aim for something with some flexibility for the future. A good business name is waiting for you, it just may take some searching.
