Consumers expect even the smallest business to have a website these days. They want to be able to find out quickly and easily about the products and services a company offers, the people behind the business, and what other customers’ experience of dealing with that business have been.
For SMEs nowadays, building a digital identity is crucial to ensuring that consumers see you as both a credible enterprise and an accessible one.
Yet, incredibly, over one-third of UK SMEs still do not have a website and just a one-third sell goods and services online, according Go ON UK (The UK’s Digital Skills Alliance).
This is putting their future at risk. Taking ownership of your digital identity – and subsequently building it up – is paramount in positioning yourself as a company that consumers can trust.
SMEs reporting frequent use of the Internet were more than twice as likely as those that used it less often to have recorded an increase in turnover over the past two years.
There have been exciting advances in the digital arena, such as ICANN (the body responsible for managing domain names) increasing the choice of gTLDs (generic top-level domains) companies can buy, from the age-old .co.uk and .com to innovative new domains like .BIKE and .LONDON.
More than 200,000 small businesses are planning to claim the new .LONDON domain name when it becomes available on April 29th.
There are lots of things that small businesses can do to create or improve their digital identity. Here are GoDaddy’s top tips:
- Having a website means you are effectively open 24/7 and can sell to people across the UK and abroad. Instead of paying an expensive agency, keep costs down by creating your own website using a website builder. Balance words with attractive images, but make sure they are small enough to load seamlessly.
- Make sure you have a support system in place to provide quality customer support. This will guarantee the smooth running of your site, ensure you resolve any usability issues quickly and that your customers are being well-served.
- We all know how security is becoming a hot issue for everyone, no matter how big your business is. Ensuring every interaction between you and your customers is secure and reliable is a must, and another indicator of commitment and investment in your enterprise. For a very small amount of money, website identities and transactions can be made secure by using an SSL certificate.
- Registering your company on Google Maps and several other social platforms will make your business look more professional and allows people to locate you easily, especially if they’re browsing your site using a mobile device.
- Producing original, quality content regularly for your website, such as recipes or case studies, will help improve your rankings thanks to stronger and more effective SEO practices.
- Consider registering for one of the new gTLDS (generic top-level domains) that are relevant to your business such as .PHOTOGRAPHY and .CLUB, or even region-specific domains such as .LONDON to give your digital business a more local or personal feel.
- Using a social media site such as Twitter or Facebook to update your customers on your latest business news or events can improve customer loyalty and increase sales. Quality over quantity is key here - posting things you know will add value for your customer base.
- Realistically, your email is a sort of digital business card. Being perceived as professional and reliable requires a small investment in a customised email address that aligns your brand. Why not create an email account that leverages your own domain name so it identifies you and your business, projecting an image of competence, reliability and trust?
By Stefano Maruzzi, VP of EMEA at GoDaddy.
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