Your website's a machine, and it'll always need a driver

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Your website's a machine, and it'll always need a driver

If you’ve ever had a website built for yourself or your business, what was the first thing you did when it was finished? I imagine for most the answer to this question is something along the lines of ‘breathe a sigh of relief’. That’s fair! You’ve waited long enough, made the design choices that really speak to you and your users, and suppressed your excitement until that special day when your www.name officially came to life. Kudos! Now, things get really interesting.

Think of your website as a global megaphone, a detailed branding map and a warehouse all wrapped into one swiss army knife-like tool. I promise you that for every function you have planned, your website is capable of another. Whatever you do, don’t think of launch day as the end of the line. You either worked your butt off developing this thing or paid someone to get the job done. Now’s the time to capitalize on your investment, and the fun begins as soon as you see how nearly limitless your options are. Just remember that your website is a machine - you’ve paid to have it engineered, now you need somebody to run it.

In the business of publishing blogs or editorials? Host them on your site instead of a dedicated external blogging service (hey, the traffic should be yours anyway). Selling a product locally or through an external eCommerce site? Sell it on your website. Have a gallery of product images? Host them on your website. OK, you probably built the site as the web-front for your business and for most of the reasons I’ve listed, but it never hurts to be thorough!

The reality is that there’s so much more to tap into. There’s a nearly limitless supply of marketing opportunities and different digital services you can tap into or offer. Podcast downloads, eLearning modules, surveys. Even external to your website, you can build a Google+ account and have your location show up in search queries, or use the colour palette and logos on your website to brand/rebrand social media platforms. Catalogue user email addresses and send them branded promotions or content through a CRM (customer relationship management), or place some ads on Google/YouTube and reap the rewards. Calling it a day any sooner would be putting your new goldmine to waste.

Here are a few easy ones: check out Google+ for your business - it’s a great way to line up your location and hours of operation, create a forum for conversation, and provide a platform for clients to leave reviews all in one swoop. Best of all, it’s going to hook you up with some SEO advantages. While you’re at it, consider crafting some new branding images for all of your social media platforms (just make sure they’re in line with your new site’s design!)

Speaking of SEO, now’s a great time to do a little research on keywords that are trending within your market and for your industry. Keep on top of these keywords and use them regularly as you revise your static content and write new posts. It may not be the end-all, but it’s going to help in the long run when it comes to making sure you rank with Google and get eyes on your website.

Next, plot out some blog publications. Nobody knows your business’ prerogatives better than you, so put some flags in the ground and talk about the topics that are relevant to expertise. Once you’ve infused your content with those keywords we talked about, publish away! These posts, along with most of your website activities, will establish credibility and are another great way to buff up your SEO value.

Finally, set up an email submission form on your site and link that field to a CRM like Infusionsoft or Hubspot. Contact relationship management (CRM) utilities like these are going to help you catalogue leads and nurture them. If that’s not your cup of tea, at least you have that information on hand if you’re ever sending promotional emails or newsletters. It never hurts to have a mailing list!

This is only the tip of the iceberg, but I hope this gave you a to-do list or offered a bit of inspiration. All too often I encounter business owners who paid for a site and simply don’t know what to do next, or can’t understand why they aren’t ranking highly with Google. I can’t stress it enough: your website is the engine that you paid to engineer, but you’ll always need someone to hit the gas and keep things running. If you want more tips on how to roll with your new site, chat with your web partners!