Article

Darcy Grabenstein
Darcy Grabenstein 3 June 2016

How to Make a Good Online Impression

Whatever your niche, your website is often where you make that crucial first impression. Your website is a direct reflection of you and your business.

If it has typos, bad links or “fluff” content, your prospects and customers will become disenchanted with you. (Not to mention the fact that the SEO gods will look down on you with disdain.) And from a branding and public relations standpoint, a weak web presence defeats the purpose altogether.

Your website is a great opportunity to educate your audience about services, products or important issues. You may, however, have to educate yourself first. Luckily, there’s a whole internet full of information, and it’s just a click away.

Developing content on a regular basis can be overwhelming. That's when a content calendar comes in. Keep in mind content for your social media sites as well. That way you can coordinate across platforms for consistency. Of course, you need ideas to fill up a content calendar. If you're stuck for ideas, here are 101 content ideas.

Chances are you've already got a business website. Content is a consideration, as is design. Is your site mobile friendly? According to Statista, in 2015, 75.1 percent of the mobile phone population accessed the internet from their mobile phone. This figure is expected to grow to 85.6 percent in 2018. You may have heard the terms "responsive" and "adaptive" design. But what's the difference between the two? This article demystifies the responsive-vs.-adaptive debate.

Whether you're ready for a website redesign or are starting from scratch, there are plenty of resources to make your life easier. Wordpress, a platform traditionally used for blogging, has plenty of templates that can be used for commercial websites. Smaller businesses simply use Facebook as their "storefront," and Facebook offers a tutorial on creating a business page.

If you plan on selling items online, then you'll need to get up to speed on ecommerce. Shopify offers an extensive Ecommerce Legal Guide to get you started.

There's a lot more to building a web presence than merely having a home page, an "about us" page and a contact page. The key is to provide valuable, relevant content on your website. Continually update your content to encourage return visits. Your content also must be readable on all types of devices, not just desktops and laptops. And make sure you abide by online regulations. All it takes is a little research and a lot of dedication. 

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