Happy New Year to All

To get your business thriving straight from the 1st January. I've put together 7 must do tips to get your website and your business off to a bang. That's something you can focus on for the first 7 days of the new year :)

1. Build a website

If you don't already have a website GET ONE BUILT! We offer simple sites from as little as £100 (excluding hosting and domain name) so there is really no excuse. Even if it's just a great looking 1 pager to begin with, with your contact details and your social media connections on it - that's the minimum you should have. Pointing all of your social media efforts to your website is really important and we can even host your most popular account feeds (Twitter, Facebook) which will bring your site to life and allow you to easily interact with your customers or clients.

If you already have a website, give it a spring clean and update it. It takes no time at all to give your site a quick once over and get it ready for action.

2. Be social

Social media is a massive part of business nowadays and more and more businesses are improving their online presence with social media. The sad fact is that if you're not using your social media to attract, entertain or satisfy your customers, your competitors may well be, and if they are you'll be losing out. It takes very little effort to set up daily posts and it helps to keep you in your customers minds.

With more than 1.71 billion monthly active users only on Facebook, it’s a no-brainer that every business owner should invest some time and effort in these platforms. Let us know if you need a helping hand - that's why we do what we do!

3. Start Blogging

Having a blog that is updated regularly is a great way to position yourself as an influencer and to help make your brand stand out. It's a great way of telling your customers or clients what you're up to, or to share the latest information and techniques in your area of expertise. It's also a brilliant way of boosting your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) which is how potential customers will find you searching on Google.

4. Double check your keywords

So you have a wonderful website now it’s time to bring in those potential clients. Double checking your keywords is a great way to ensure your site shows up as high as possible on Google results.

Friendly reminder: keywords are 2 to 5 word phrases that your potential customers would write in a search engine when looking for a biz like yours. Not sure where to start? Give us a call and we'll happily train one of your staff or complete the task for you.

5. Get mobile-friendly

With everyone constantly on the move today, it’s important that people can view your website on the move. Make sure that all pages display clearly and that contact numbers and social connections are easy to find,

6. Go Local

If you’re a small business with a physical storefront, we know your main goal is to get those shoppers through the front door. But how do you reach this target audience? You need to snag people right from their Google query. First things first; make sure your name, phone number and address are written on your site. This will help draw a clear path from a Google search straight to your store and result in – that’s right – more people walking through your door. This type of SEO for businesses with a storefront is called Local SEO. Be sure to register your business on Google, Bing and Yell.com to make sure that you can be found easily by the most popular search methods. If you're not sure how to do it, we have some FREE help sheets, just email andy@thepixelbullies.com and we'll get them out to you.

7. Take advantage of email marketing

For a long time, now email marketing has been a strong advertising tool for businesses– and it’s not going anywhere! It's really important to keep an up-to-date list of your customers and clients, or if you're just starting out, create a Call-To-Action on your site and give something away in return for their email address. A simple How-To guide or some great advice is usually enough.

If you need help with any of this, just get in touch via andy@thepixelbullies.com :)