All new businesses have to start somewhere – even the mega retail giant Amazon – and today, that somewhere is the internet. But it’s hard work, and you have to make many crucial decisions early on if you want to stay competitive. When you are going up against Amazon, Walmart, and other online powerhouses, you have to fight for your share of the market and continue fighting to stay in the spotlight. Here are a few tips for small business owners trying to do just that.
Prioritize the health of your online presence.
Your website is the first glimpse of your business many potential new customers will get. You cannot afford for your clients to be underwhelmed. Your website should be attractive, easy to use, and, perhaps most importantly, reliable. It doesn’t matter how great your design is; if your hosting service can’t keep up with the amount of traffic you generate, your customers won’t stick around. Take some time to compare hosting services, and don’t necessarily go with the cheapest. As Digital.com notes, InMotion is one reliable option and offers things like around-the-clock customer support, secure hosting solutions, dependable uptime, and a 90-day money back guarantee.
Say hello to SEO.
Search engine optimization remains crucial to the visibility of any website. But, as Search Engine Journal explains, SEO in 2019 means more than simply posting a few blog posts each month. If you want your website to remain a top search result, you have to start by providing your audience with content they want and can use. This might mean videos, infographics, or interactive tools. The user experience of your website matters, too. Page speed, for example, is also a factor in how Google, and ostensibly other search engines, prioritize page rank and assign page authority.
Don’t sacrifice quality for price.
Amazon and other sites will almost certainly enjoy volume discounts, which means they can sell for less. However, don’t let a lower-priced tag discourage you from offering similar products on your own site. Studies indicate that consumers prioritize quality over lower prices in many cases. While your products or services should not be overpriced, how you interact with your customers and how you stand behind them after the purchase are valuable.
Narrow your focus.
If you haven’t yet, spend some time looking at your inventory. Chances are, there are products that simply haven’t sold, while there are products that have. This is a good place to start and can help you narrow down your focus so that you can make the most of your customers’ online experience. Catering to a niche market allows you to provide the best products – the ones your customers want. In other words, don’t try to sell everything; stick with things you know. By doing so, you have a better chance of capturing your target audience and providing content and service that far exceed what any general retailer could offer.
Stick with steady growth.
Every company wants to grow, but the growing pains you will experience can stall your company’s progress. If you want to be truly competitive, you have to be consistent by offering your customers the same – or a better – experience each time they buy something from you. Make sure that your management model is scalable, that you have a quality control system in place, and, most importantly, avoid the temptation to offer more than you can deliver.
You’ll probably never be a $100 billion company, and that’s okay. Most people don’t need billions of dollars to support their family, even one with an extravagant lifestyle. What you do need, however, is a sustainable business that does not get eclipsed by those that already hold the market. With a little planning, including narrowing your focus and paying attention to your website, you can hold your own and watch your business grow.