Scary things going on around the world at the moment… and things are likely to get worse before they start to improve. But as they say, every cloud has a silver lining, so if you find yourself in a Coronaviras (COVID-19) quarantine or lockdown here are some things that you be doing to help fill the time (and improve your business)….
In fact, irrespective of Coronavirus, you should be doing at least some (if not all) of the following 10 things on a regular (at least annual) basis anyway.
1. Review Your Website
Take a long hard look at our website… When did you last update it ?….Does it still work ? (especially contact forms)… Does it properly reflect your business ? Does it work properly on Mobile Devices ?
If your site can do with some tweaks and adjustments… or whether it is time for a complete re-write, NOW is a good time to consider it (in fact you should be doing this activity every few months).
2. Update Your Content
Is all the information on your website (and on your business social media profiles) correct and up to date ?? Are there some new products/services that you now offer (or some old ones that you no longer provide) ?? Are your contact details correct and up to date ??
Spend some time going through your content and updating /correcting anything that is no longer current.
3. Take a Look at Your Analytics
When was the last time you checked your websites Analytics data ?? (You DO have analytics right ??)
Is your traffic growing or declining ? … Where is most of your traffic coming from ?? What pages are people looking at (and which ones are they not) ? What percentage of your traffic is from mobile devices ?? … Is the bounce rate for mobile devices OK ?? … These and many many other questions can be addressed by looking at our analytics data and it will give you valuable insights into how your customers are finding and interacting with your website.
4. Encourage Reviews
Now is a good time to encourage your clients and visitors to provide feedback and leave reviews (especially Google reviews – which can help with your overall search rankings)…. A simple request is often all that you need, but also a good idea to provide clear instructions on how to leave a review as well.
5. Write Some Blog Posts
A Blog (or News section) is often the quickest and easiest way for you to add fresh new content to your website, and one of the best ways to raise your profile on Google.
If you don’t already have a blog as a part of your business website you should seriously consider adding one… and if you already have a Blog and struggle to write posts – don’t panic, this is normal… but there are some relatively simple strategies that can help make it a lot easier for you to create posts. Give Andy a call on 0403 023 223 or Contact Us, if you need some assistance with this.
Ideally, you should be writing posts regularly, but it is much more important that the post you do publish are actually useful and interesting to your potential customers.
6. Update your LinkedIn profile
If you don’t already have a LinkedIn Profile – get one … and make sure that it includes references to your current business, and that the description of your business is up to date and accurate.
7. Check your Search Rankings
Do you know how is your website showing up in Google search results for your most important keywords ?
Don’t waste your time doing a Google search for your keywords, as the result you get is unlikely to reflect the result that your customers get (because of personalised search results)… instead, go to the Google Search Console
Search Console is a free Google Tool, which is the most accurate way to see what keywords you are ranking for, and how your rankings have changed over time (amongst many other things). Search Console requires some setting up but is an incredibly useful way to get an insight into how your website is performing.
If you need some assistance or would like to arrange a
Remote Training/Consulting Session.
Give us a call on 0403 023 223 or Contact Us,
8. Review Your Keywords
Do you truly understand which keywords are the most important for your business ? Not just the ones that you regularly use… what about the ones that your clients actually search for ??
You should regularly review what keywords are important to your business and keep a list close by so that when you are writing content (pages or posts) you make sure that you use them.
Also consider asking some of your best clients what keywords they would use on Google to try and find you business if they did not know its name…
Give us a call on 0403 023 223 or Contact Us, if you’d like some assistance with Keyword Analysis.
9. Review Your Products/Services
Do the products and services you offer accurately reflect the nature of the market, and the products/services that your clients are looking for ? Is the way that you describe them accurate and based around keywords that your potential customers would use ?
Very often a keyword analysis will highlight some additional products/services that you could easily offer as well.
10. Contact Your Clients
Keeping in touch with existing client is important, but it is an often overlooked and neglected activity. Use Coronavirus imposed “downtime” as an “excuse” to get in touch with clients and see how they are doing… and how you may be able to assist them…
Also consider establishing a newsletter… or a follow up system to keep in touch with clients and contacts automatically.
Each of the 10 activities listed above should be undertaken on a regular basis anyway… but a CONVID-19 quarantine/lockdown situation offers a good reason to be pro-active and take some positive steps to improve your business.
Andy Henderson, the Director and Head Trainer at In a Day, manages the day to day operations of our Brisbane (Carina) Training facility. Andy has more than 20 years experience in Search Engine Optimisation, Web Design, and in excess of 10 years WordPress website development.