5 tips how to make an effective website for small businesses.

The answer is yes and no, with a few caveats. 15 years ago if you weren't a programmer or a web developer you didn't have many options. You had to hire someone to build a website. Nowadays with literally 100's of website builders ranging from mediocre to robust, and priced from free and up, you have many, many DIY options. Many people take this route. Some should, and some should not. Many potential clients ask me, why should I hire someone, when I can do it myself? My analogy is this. Anyone can go to a store to buy paint and a paintbrush and paint a painting. Will their painting be the Mona Lisa or an amateur piece of work? Unless you are a naturally gifted artist the answer is the latter. I'm not saying that with hours of practice, and some talent, a decent piece of work could be produced. But the average person probably couldn't paint a masterpiece, or make a beautiful, functional website. Here's who I recommend build their own website. You have a lot of time. Unless you're dedicating at least 20+ plus hours, your site probably won't look anything close to what you envisioned. You have a very small budget. If you're just starting out and have limited resources the DIY option probably is your best route. You have a good sense of design. If your great at matching color palettes, images, fonts, and layouts then a DIY site might be a good fit. At the same time you need to design a site that converts visitors into customers. You do not need E-commerce. E-commerce sites have a a steep learning curve. I've seen experienced designers and developers run into issues with creating online stores. You need a very simple site. If all you need is a basic informational site the DIY builders have some templated functionality that will suit your needs. Just don't expect to implement bespoke design or functionality features. You have a good sense of search engine optimization. If not, don't expect your site to show up in search results. If you fall into any of these categories a DIY site might be a good choice. Otherwise a professionally designed and developed website will save you time and money in the long run. Pro Web Enhance offers affordable, professional web design for small to medium businesses and groups. Get a free consultatio n.

2020 was a doozie, shutdowns, and restrictions amidst a raging pandemic that is still largely uncontrolled in many areas. Countless (SMB)'s small to medium-sized businesses took huge cuts in sales and foot traffic. Some were able to weather the storm, many are deeply impacted or were forced to closed. Business as usual is no longer a term applied to many (SMB)'s. Let's look at the light at the end of the tunnel. A vaccine/s that will bring the pandemic under control, is being administered as of this writing. Normalcy from restrictions should take place in late spring, early summer. Business back to normal? Yes and no. Here's our forecast for 2021(SMB) digital marketing and overall business trends. People like shopping online. We all saw Amazon do better than ever. Is your business selling online? If not, it should be. Many (SMB)’s are offering E-commerce solutions allowing consumers to not visit in person. We expect this trend to continue and grow. Pro Web Enhance provides E-commerce solutions, to help your business reach its customers on the web. Along with E-commerce, local delivery is being offered by many businesses’. Such as clothing retailers and businesses that traditionally don’t offer delivery services. Even if your business sells services, the ability to take advantage of online payments is huge and eliminates in-person visits. Expect many more people to work remotely in 2021 and beyond. If your business is hubbed next to and reliant on office foot traffic, this is markedly the largest change in business levels for many brick and mortar retailers. Some are able to overcome this with creative solutions, some unfortunately are not. Providing an E-commerce solution could help offset this decrease in foot traffic. Also, a targeting digital marketing campaign could bring people from outside the office-centric bubble of the past. We hope this sheds some light on a brighter future for 2021. Happy selling to all (SMB)’s and Seasons’ Greetings.

Your business may have changed in a new era of social distancing and lack of face to face interactions. Whether your a restaurant who's dining has shifted outside. Or your a service based business like a printer who's customers are using the web, and no longer walking in as much. It is vital to make sure your customers can get what they need through your businesses digital presence. This means making your Google and web directory business listings are up to date with all hours, indoor/ outdoors, etc. options available for customers. Additionally taking payments through your website for service based businesses can alleviate the need for face to face interactions. For many brick and mortar stores that sell products, adding an E-commerce solution could help increase sales due to less walk in business. Also adding a gift card purchase option on your website is another great sales channel. Pro Web Enhance can help keep your business up to date and help you sell more on the web in this ever changing marketplace. Call us for a free consultation today.

Many business owners/mangers are at a loss: when it comes to recognizing some fixable mistakes, they make with their digital marketing. We list them here in to avoid some top pitfalls and help you grow on the web 1. Website not optimized for mobile devices. In 2020 as mobile search users approach 211million people according to Statista . your website should be beautiful, functional and optimized for all mobile devices. 2. Web business listings not complete and/or accurate. With local searches increasing every year, and 28% of searches resulting in a sale. It's key that your business is optimized for local search functionality. The Google my Business listing 3 pack is still king, and showing up there can dramatically increase your businesses' customers purchase or visit rate. 3. Your Business still isn't using or under using social media. Be part of the conversation or your competitors will be. Over 80% of people have a social media account, get people talking about your business with regular posting. in addition adding paid advertisements can be a good strategy for most businesses.

Some tips to help get better results with Google and Facebook ads in 2018.

We've compiled a list of reasons that inhibit a website functioning as a tool to drive new business your way. He're is some design flaws that can stop your visitors from making a connection. Not mobile friendly- Any site that is not responsive to mobile devices not only causes its visitors to leave but also ranks lower in search engine results. Too many fonts and colors- A site that has too many fonts and colors comes across as distracting and not cohesive to building your brand. No video- The old saying a is picture says a 1000 words. A video tells a story and can explain a lot without your visitors searching all over your site. No contact information readily available- This should be mobile friendly clickable phone numbers and mobile forms. This is especially important if you're a local business. Information buried in menus- Less is more when it comes to menu design having too many subpages and categories leaves your visitor searching; instead of converting into a lead or sale.