5 Tips for Small Business Websites in 2024
Written by Natalie Bloom
13 August 2024
The digital marketing landscape is forever changing and morphing, and at an increasingly rapid rate since AI took the stage. 91% of users search with Google over any other search engine, and Google has added a new feature: AI summaries at the top of the search engine results page. Now, when a user searches for information, they may not even read the list of websites returned below, Google summarizes the answer to their query from several different sources in one short paragraph.
Yes, efficiency is great, but don’t we need to know our sources so we know if we can trust the information they’re giving us? Do we really want Google choosing the “truth” for us? I can see a dystopian future where this kind of technology is used against the people in the name of corporate greed. I digress…
The goal used to be to have your website in the first three results of the search engine results page for your business’s relevant keywords, or at the very least on the first page, as only a small percentage of users will click past page one. Thought leaders are still debating how the AI summary will affect websites in general, but one thing is certain- traffic is down.
Meanwhile, social apps are all over the place. From the TikTok ban to paying for visibility on Instagram to wondering if your target demographic is even on Facebook, it can be hard to know where to invest your energy. It’s more important than ever to have a professional website and figure out how to play the algorithm’s game by creating valuable content and marketing it effectively to your target audience.
1. Use AI for Copywriting… Ideas
Do I use AI for writing? Sometimes. Do I ever let AI do my writing? Absolutely not.
If you’ve ever worked with me before I’ve definitely encouraged you to write a blog. The algorithm likes your website to be regularly updated, and the easiest way to do this is to write blogs for your audience with relevant keywords that will lead them to your content when they search.
Use AI in your content writing to get supplemental ideas about what to write about, but please don’t copy and paste. This is not me protecting my job security; this is me protecting you from creating watered-down, unoriginal content the Google algorithm will ignore. Google doesn’t want your AI content; it wants to be fed original human-written content. What’s the point of taking the time to write a blog at all if it’s not going to help your site out on the search engine results page?
As AI writing becomes increasingly popular, more people are using it, which in turn trains it. It is a massive database of information, pulling its data from content on the Internet. As content on the Internet becomes increasingly written by AI, the AI is increasingly training itself, meaning it lacks original information and spits out new versions of ideas that already exist. It lacks nuance, personality, and everything a brand’s copywriting needs to connect with the HUMANS in its target audience.
To be human is to err, and to err is authentic, and authenticity is currency. Perfectionism isn’t relatable, and neither are robots. Professional is usually good, yes, so use Grammarly to check your spelling if you want, but know where the line is. As AI threatens to kill art in the name of efficiency, remember that people will always be human, intrinsically drawn to a reflection of their own experiences… aka art. At this point, I’m referring to art as any type of content still made by a human. So no, your writing doesn’t have to be “perfect” to publish a blog, it just has to be authentic. In fact, I left all the run-on sentences in this blog post for you so you’d feel less alone; you’re welcome.
2. Use AI for Problem Solving
Here’s one that does threaten my job security.
If you are using any type of software, the latest version of ChatGPT “knows” how to use it, too, and will give you step-by-step instructions on how to get from A to B. Keep in mind that the paid subscription of ChatGPT will be more helpful, as it includes information available up until its last update in August 2023. The free version hasn’t been updated since its launch in November 2022. So, if Shopify (or whatever website builder you use) has updated since ChatGPT was last updated, ChatGPT won’t have real-time “understanding” or “knowledge” of the latest versions of software, so its instructions may not be precise, but will still help you understand concepts and grasp processes quicker than trial and error saving you time, potentially money, and definitely sanity.
3. Utilize User-Generated Content
Have you ever gone to purchase a product you’ve never used before from a site like Amazon and turned to reviews only to question if the reviews are real users, not sponsored to endorse the product? Being an influencer is a whole career now and has killed the validity of reviews and recommendations on social platforms. Savvy consumers are turning to user-generated content, like Reddit, where millions of opinions from real consumers without monetary motives for sharing hang out. This is a great place to learn more about your target audience and get real insight into what people are saying about your brand and industry.
The one type of review you should not ignore is Google My Business reviews. Especially if your business serves a specific geographical location, you need to beef up your local SEO by optimizing and engaging in your Google My Business. Ask customers to review you, and show potential customers that others in the community trust your brand, then embed those reviews to your website as a form of “social proof”. Also, don’t forget to double-check that your NAP (name, address, phone number) matches everywhere on the Internet to help improve your rankings in local organic search results.
4. Create Content for Your Target Audience
Write out the demographics of your target audience and create content they would want to engage with. Forget what your family and friends think. You are a business now, and your website and social media are marketing tools.
If you sell art, don’t use keywords like “painting process” because the algorithm will show your content to other artists, who may be searching for how-to content. You want buyers, so use keywords that the algorithm will send to people who buy art. Talk about why you made the work, what it means, what it can do for your ideal buyer. Don’t talk about your expensive Italian paint brushes, you can do that on Reddit.
5. Know the Order of Operations: Useful, Usable, then Beautiful Web Design
An easy-to-use but “bland” website is ten times better than a beautiful but confusing-to-navigate one. Focus on creating a webpage that is useful to your target audience (think: why do users come to my website in the first place?). Once you have that nailed down, make sure it’s extremely easy to access and engage with your content in the way the user needs to.
After you’ve set up the bones, then add the décor. But don’t go crazy… there are accessibility standards to consider (like color contrast), structural standards that play into SEO, and a whole host of ways getting too creative with your design can keep the user from meeting the goal of your website.
When a user can’t figure out how to meet their goals on your website, they’ll often just bounce right off your page to the competition. The kicker is that Google is tracking how long users stay on your website, and if a lot of users are confused, you’ll have a high “bounce rate”, which will lead to Google’s algorithm docking your visibility on the web.
If you are going to DIY your website design, I suggest you adhere to a style guide, learn a little about website UX/UI, and keep it simple.
Good luck out there, and let me know if you need any website help; I can jump in at any time.
