Your stress-free website: Tips & Tricks for small business owners

Published by Incomedia in Guides and Tips · Thursday 14 Nov 2024 · 10:30

We know that being a small business owner often means wearing several hats. You must handle everything yourself: from managing customer orders and accounting to tackling unexpected problems like a leaky bathroom pipe. This list seems endless, while budget and time feel like they’re in short supply.

Still, there’s a solution that can make everything run smoothly! Start by turning your website into a valuable ally for your business. Thanks to several smart strategies, you will be able to save hours and optimize both your time and money. And, who knows, you might even free up some time for that dream vacation you’ve been craving for years!

We’re here to guide you through this process. In this article, we’ll walk you step by step through effective website management. We will show you how to organize your activity to save time and reduce stress. The dream of having more time and resources is closer than you think. Let’s embark on this journey together towards a more peaceful and fulfilling management of your website!

What skills do you need to manage a website on your own?

When it comes to managing a website, you don’t really have to be an IT professional. The good news is that you simply need some basic knowledge to be successful. And don’t worry, we aren’t referring to complex codes or programming languages!

1. Knowing the website builder

If you know how to use a text editor like Microsoft Word and are familiar with the drag-and-drop function, then you’re already on the right track. Tools like WebSite X5 make it easy to add pages, upload images, and edit texts without touching a line of code. By starting with a good template and following the guided steps, you can easily achieve the results you want.

With WebSite X5, you’ll learn quickly. In no time, you will be able to set up pages, write articles, or add products to your e-commerce. Just take some time before starting to go through the guides, follow some webinars, and test software functions. Start with small projects to build your confidence, and soon everything will feel easier and more intuitive. That’s the best way of becoming an expert user and managing your website with no stress.

2. Writing clear and concise content

Websites require simple yet effective texts. To achieve this, you don’t need exceptional writing skills; you just need to clearly explain what your business does in a straightforward way that addresses your customers' needs.

Start by following these simple basic rules:

Write for your customers: Think about what your customers want to know. Address their needs before talking about you.
Use brief and direct sentences: Explain what you do clearly and concisely, don’t try to impress your audience with empty and overused phrases. For instance, “We help you grow your business” is way better than “We offer innovative solutions for the success of your business”.
Use bullet lists and clear CTAs: Important details should be easy to find. Use bullet lists and keywords (like we’re doing now!) and include call-to-actions such as “Get in touch” to guide users.

By following these tips, you’ll create content that is both clear and impactful, making it easier for visitors to understand and increase your site functionality. You can dive deeper into this topic by reading the article: 12 Copywriting Techniques for Digital Marketers.

Out of ideas, stuck on a section, or need a revision? Let Artificial Intelligence assist. With WebSite X5, you can generate text using the AI-powered Magic Text: you provide hints (discover how to write effective prompts), and it writes perfect texts for you.

3. Managing images effectively

Images are crucial for websites: they help grab the attention and enhance the browsing experience. Of course, a bit of good taste never hurts, but basically, you need to focus on two main aspects:

Choosing relevant, high-quality images: To convey professionalism, you need to pick up high-quality images connected to your business. If you haven’t got any of your own, you can use free resources such as Depositphotos, Unsplash, or Pexels to find the images that better suit your message. You will be able to select the best by using filters. To find out more, see: Stock Photography: How to Choose the Right Images for Your Website
Resizing images: Large images can slow down the website loading speed. With free tools like Canva or TinyPNG, you can resize and compress images, so to keep their quality without overloading the pages.

4. Using basic SEO tools

A website without visitors isn't of much use! To ensure that potential customers find your website, you need to apply some SEO techniques (Search Engine Optimization). While SEO might sound complex, the core principles are fairly simple. Here’s a breakdown:

Use Strategic Keywords: Think about what your customers could google in order to find your service, then include these keywords in your titles and texts. For example, if you run a carpentry business, 'custom furniture' could be an important keyword.
Optimize Titles and Descriptions: Every page of your website should have a clear title and description (“meta description”) that briefly explains what can be found on the page. This not only helps with SEO but also increases the chances that someone seeing your website in the search results will click on the link.
Internal Links: Connect the pages of your website. This helps both visitors and Google better understand the overall structure. For example, if you’re talking about a product in a blog article, add a link to the product page.
Pay attention to loading speed: A slow website can negatively impact your ranking. Optimize images and use a reliable hosting service to avoid this. Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights can provide useful information about how to improve your pages’ performance.

By following these simple tips, as SEO expert Luigi Luongo explained very well in the interview Focusing on Local SEO, your site will be easier to find on Google, bringing more visitors and potential customers to your business.

5. Interpreting basic analytics data

If you want to improve your website over time, you need insights that can help you make informed decisions. In this sense, you should use platforms such as Google Analytics. All it takes is a bit of curiosity and the willingness to learn how to read a few numbers and take advantage of at least the simplest metrics. Start here:

Check the number of visitors: The first data you need to monitor is the number of visitors you get. Knowing how many people get on your website every week or month gives you a general idea of website performance. If you notice a decline, it might be time to review some content or promote the site more effectively.
Keep an eye on the most visited pages: Check which pages are receiving the most visits. These are the pages that users appreciate the most and should always be updated and optimized. On the other hand, if there are pages that are hardly ever visited, you might want to consider improving them or changing their content.
Pay attention to the time spent on the site and the bounce rate: Time on page’ indicates how long visitors stay on a page, while ‘bounce rate’ measures how many people leave the site after viewing only one page. If the time on a page is low and the bounce rate is high, it might mean that the content isn’t engaging enough. Try adding interesting information, images, or a call-to-action to improve these metrics.
Conversion goals: Set small goals, such as clicking on a contact link or visiting a specific page. Google Analytics allows you to track these goals to see if the site is delivering tangible results. For example, you can check how many people click on the 'Get in touch' button and determine if your content is driving users to take the desired action.

Thanks to the available guides, we're confident that you'll quickly get comfortable with Google Analytics and learn to monitor these simple metrics. This will help you better understand how users interact with your site and provide practical insights on what to improve to meet your visitors' needs

Optimizing time for website management

Managing a website can seem like a challenging task, especially when time is limited.

But with a bit of organization and some smart strategies, you can minimize the stress and time spent on website maintenance, leaving you more room to focus on what really matters: growing your business. Here are some techniques to save valuable minutes each week:

Simplify the content update process
To reduce time spent on updating your website, standardizing processes is key. Imagine having a fixed template for your blog articles: you already know the sections that will be there (an introduction, a list of benefits, and a conclusion with a CTA). This allows you to write without starting from scratch every time. The same concept applies to product description: go for a consistent structure (such as title, main features, and benefits for the customers) that can be used for every product. Tools such as Trello or Notion can help create and manage such templates, streamlining the process.
Plan your activities
Trying to do everything at once can be overwhelming. On the contrary, planning your activities in advance makes managing tasks much easier. You can for instance set up an editorial calendar for the website updates, deciding what pages or articles to edit every week or month. This way, you won’t have to make too many changes at once. Tools like Google Calendar or Asana are great for keeping your tasks organized and ensuring nothing is forgotten. Additionally, set aside a fixed time each week, even just an hour, to focus on website maintenance. Scheduling these tasks will help you feel more at ease and in control.
Automate wherever possible
We live in a time when technology can really simplify our daily lives, so don’t be afraid of using it! There are many tools that can automate repetitive tasks and help you save precious time. For example, social media scheduling plugins like Buffer or Hootsuite help you plan posts in advance to promote new website content. You can then use tools like Mailchimp to send out newsletters and create automated campaigns, by sending periodic emails to your subscribers without having to manage them individually. If you automate repetitive tasks, you can spare time and focus on aspects of your business that require your direct attention.

With these simple measures, you can keep your site updated without it becoming a burden. Good organization and smart use of tools can make the difference between spending hours managing a site or just a few minutes, leaving you with more time for what you truly enjoy - like growing your business or, why not, a little extra relaxation.

Conclusions

Managing your business website doesn’t necessarily be stressful or time-consuming, taking away the energy and time you could dedicate to your business, or even to yourself. With some basic skills, a bit of organization, and the right tools and strategies to optimize your time, you can turn website management from a hard task to a simple and enjoyable activity.

Start today with small steps: each improvement will help turn your site into a powerful tool for your business, capable of attracting customers and generating value without consuming all your time.