Is Your Website Destroying Your Online Business’ Potential?

There are some websites which you just want to keep on browsing, they are very informative, interesting and they make you feel good.

On the other hand, there are some websites which are very repulsive, boring or confusing. Some of these websites may have so many graphics or some have a very unappealing layout. These websites are not good for a business.

Your website makes or breaks your online business. A good and professionally designed website will bring you a lot of customers and sales and make your online business.

What are the factors that make a website uninteresting, dull and ineffective at creating you sales?

· Too many, and hard to load graphics. For many people websites with graphics that sing and dance are just annoying and unprofessional. These graphics do not add much to your website in terms of search engine rankings or user-friendliness, and are not therefore useful for your online business. What you need most on your website is unique, relevant and high quality content. A sleek layout that makes it clear and easy how to navigate the website is essential for your online business.

· Confusing websites. You know these websites – you visit them and you just can not tell what is on offer! The layout is not efficient, and you can not easily navigate the site. For some websites, the website name, URL and blog names do not reflect the website’s focus. These websites can also have a lot of products and services on offer that are not focused. Make sure that your website, as well as services and products you offer are as focused as possible. If you want to offer a range of products in your online business and want to sell them from one website; make sure that they are related and be creative in the way you present them on your website.

· A look-alike template that is mirrored off another website. Be original and creative. There are a lot of these ‘website in a box’ offers; although they make things easy for you since you get a ready-to-go website for your online business – they are not good for your business in the long term. Online customers do not want to see exactly the same website layout over and over. It is highly recommended that you hire someone to tweak and adjust your template to personalize it and make it your own. Personalize your online business’ website and be different!

· A website that lacks any ‘benefits’ to prospects. The internet is supposed to be full of useful and helpful information. Although you are selling your online business’ services or products mainly, your website must also offer the reader high quality unique information. Also, if you offer an e-zine or e-course on your website, it must also offer some useful information. It is also recommended that you get creative and offer many other ‘stuff’ that relates to your website. The idea is to make visitors want to bookmark your website and want to come back again. This is very important for your online business.

· Ineffective use of keywords and phrases. This is essential for your visibility on search engines. Make sure that your website is well optimized.

Your website is very important. Make sure that all the links are functional. Your website must be informative and easy to navigate. You must also offer various ways for payment processing for your customers.

It pays to hire someone to design or tweak your website for you. Avoid the mistakes listed above and have your website making money for you 24/7.

4 Ways to Streamline Your Business and Increase Profits

Use these 4 quick tips to instantly make your business more profitable:

1. Cancel any services that aren’t working for you and invest in something better:

Have you been paying monthly or yearly fees on services that just aren’t working that well for your business? Perhaps you’ve been holding on to a particular service because you’ve become familiar with it, and now it just sort of seems like a part of your business? Holding onto services that aren’t putting out their value are actually eating your profits.

Evaluate your service. Is it living up to what the company promised? Most business owners use services to either help them save time, accomplish more or help them benefit is some profitable way. If your service isn’t doing this, then consider finding a better qualified service or cutting off your service altogether.

Some people aren’t happy with a service they have but they dread making that “switch” to something better. And when they finally do, they realize it wasn’t as hard or dreadful as they thought it was going to be. Some companies will even do much of the leg work themselves or give you a great introductory offer just for making a switch to their service. Remember, if you’re going to pay for a service it should profit you in some way, if not, it’s eating your profits.

2. Eliminate time-wasters in your business:

Have you been adding some activities in your business that you know just aren’t benefiting your business in any way? Perhaps, you have great character and you “never quit” anything that you start. While it’s true that if you really want to succeed, you should never, ever quit trying to succeed….consider that some things that you’ve started in your business might actually be keeping you from accomplishing more or starting something better. Analyze your business…try to eliminate any time-wasters and even “quit” doing whatever isn’t profiting you so that you can try something else that may profit you more. Sometimes you don’t need to “quit” what you’re doing, but rather, “educate” yourself how to do it better. Which leads me to my next point:

3. Educate yourself on how to do some important tasks for your business:

Are there some things that are really costing you money because you can’t do it yourself? If you’re paying a big hefty fee for a hosting service just because it offers a fancy website creator, why not take a class on html or web design. Educate yourself and learn to do some things yourself to eliminate extra expenses…and thus, allowing your profits to soar even more. The internet is full of free resources. Sign up for some free classes or newsletters to help you learn whatever it is that you need to learn for your business. Invest some money learning from experienced, successful business owners by purchasing their ebooks or ecourses. It will be worth your time and money and you won’t have to weed through facts and fiction. Furthering your education and knowledge will be an asset to you and will continue benefiting you throughout life.

4. Outsource some of your work to accomplish more:

As your business grows, you may face times when you just cannot do it all yourself…and if you try, you’ll end up in the hospital with a nervous breakdown. Although most small home business owners cannot afford to hire their own employees, today there is the wonderful possibility of outsourcing some of your work. Perhaps it’s worth it to take that big order to your local printer shop if need be. Hunt around for a good deal. Often times you can cut a deal with a company when you purpose to use them as your main outsource for that particular task that you need done.

Using a virtual assistant (VA) can also be a good choice for outsourcing. You can train them to help you with some of those task that are weighing you down. If you’re able to accomplish even “more” with some help, then you will be able to profit more too. Virtual assistants are very easy to find on the internet — just do a search on your favorite search engine. However, take time to do your research or get recommendations before tempting to hire someone and start off with a small task to see how things work out for you with your new assistant.

Overall, the purpose of any service, business activity or outsourcing should be yielding you more profits. If it’s not, then analyze your business once again and make the necessary adjustments.