Living in the peak time of online business, it can be quite challenging to get popular for small to medium businesses. Just ten years ago, it was much easier. All it took was a bit of determination, creating a website, and spreading the word. However, things are much more complicated now with each entrepreneur having to know a lot about many subjects and domains. Let’s see what one can do to cover the basics. 

Have a presentable website

This is some kind of a ticket to the big leagues. You can’t get ahead unless you have a proper website. Make no mistake, there are ways to do it on your own, but it takes time to learn and get deep into it. On the other hand, you can also hire professionals. However, many people do pose as professionals, when they are, in fact, not. Luckily, there are ways to check the legitimacy of someone’s biography. There is a great network of experts for web design in Houston that operates very efficiently, so if your business is nearby, you are in for a treat. 

Special focus should always be put on the home page. This is the place that everyone visits and only some choose to go forward. There is a big difference between the two options, which is why having a home page attractive enough for people to wish to keep digging through your website, is the best way to keep interested parties in your business. On the contrary, if your home page is boring or off-putting, it will likely cause a counter-effect. That means – not only will people not wish to stay on your website, but they will start handing out bad reviews, both verbal and digital.

Do your homework

Doing thorough research on your fiercest competitors is definitely a must if you aim to go forward with your business. We urge you to take this task very seriously. It does not cost almost any money and you do not need to hire any external employees to accomplish it. However, it does require a lot of time and effort. It is a lot of work, but it is also very rewarding. It will help you broaden some of your analytical skills, as well as teach you all about your competition. Make notes on everything you like and dislike about each selected subject, i.e. business, you are investigating. 

If you combine all the best features of your greatest competitors and avoid some of the mistakes they made over time, you might be on to something. Moreover, if you have something unique – a vision or an idea, it can make all the difference in the world. Most young entrepreneurs have certain plans for their businesses, as well as an idea of how to make them a reality. So, if you add your special something to the perfect recipe you already comprised, you will be on your way to conquering the industry.

Use social networks

Simply saying the words ‘social media’ makes you already feel old and as if your great-granddaughter is trying to teach you to use Instagram properly. If you want to be in the game, you need to be aware of everything out there and choose your target. Today, there is a large gap in age groups regarding the social networks they use. For instance, Facebook is such old news that even our grandfathers are not excited about it. However, if your target audience age group fits, Facebook is the network you should put your primary focus on. If not, the youngest generation goes for Tik-Tok, slightly older ones are into Snapchat, while Instagram is everything in between. 

Don’t be fooled, there are amazing things people can do with social media as entrepreneurs. Take a few courses or read an inspirational book. Social media is the door to so many opportunities, one just needs to find the right key. 

Keep it short with big gaps

The modern age has brought us great technological advancement, as well as a much shorter attention span. This one of the reasons many famous websites became obsolete. Nobody likes to read anymore, and when they do, they like it as short and informative as can be. So, in order to keep up, it would be smart to revise all your digital content and rewrite it, if necessary. Don’t care about good vocabulary or expression, focus on conveying a clear message. 

Separate your text into paragraph that are logically divided by topics. Use white spaces between paragraphs. This creates a soothing effect for the reader and makes the whole text seem much more friendly. Media content should also be concise. If you have instructional videos, they should not be longer than two minutes. Anything longer and people lose interest. As far as images go, they should also be as simple as possible, especially if they are instructional. Leave out all the detailing and keep it to the point. There is a whole science between this, whether you believe it or not. At least try it, and you will see results soon. 

Learn about SEO

SEO is a huge part of any business today. Some companies still refuse to get on the track, but it is definitely their loss. If you haven’t had the chance to be acquainted with SEO, the time is now. There is a lot of material on the subject and it can be overwhelming. However, the gist of it is that you should learn a few tricks that will make your website pop up in the top ten Google results when the right keyword is typed in the browser. It is not toot difficult, but it does take some time to immerse yourself in the subject. Therefore, think about doing it on your own, or outsourcing SEO experts. Both choices are perfectly fine, the only unacceptable one is to ignore it. 

All in all, being an entrepreneur today is a difficult and challenging job, however, it always has been. Every time period carries its own hardships and benefits. If you really do love your job, it will motivate you enough to do your best to succeed.