There are a lot of giants in the big bad world of the internet. Amazon stomp around with the veracity of a mad king, Google rules the roost and enforces it with an iron fist, and Netflix (the young upstart of the crew) takes over the entertainment industry like some kind of Iago-jester.
How are you, a fledgling business on the net, supposed to compete with these powerhouses?
Well, with a bit of entrepreneurial sense and a great website, you can mould your tiny site into a high-flyer – in your own way.
So, what do you need to know?
Make sure you deliver
Everyone’s had to put up with dreadful delivery services at some point in their life. It’s like living in your very own rendition of Waiting for Godot. And just as you’ve tired of waiting in your house for a package that might never come, you find it in your bin, or on your roof, or crushed under the wheels of a nearby lorry.
It’s not the ideal way to receive a package – and you don’t want your customers to suffer the same misfortune.
And if you want to battle against Amazon – which is currently working on technology that will start the shipping process before you’ve even finished ordering – you’ll have to pull something special out of the bag.
Whether you’re delivering a parcel to China or Timbuctoo, you should expect consistency and quality from your delivery service. There are tons of companies offering special features, from real time tracking to first class perks. So, shop around and you’ll find a service perfect for you – and your customers.
Play the searching game
Do you ever stare in wonder at the search results of Google, straining your noggin to figure out how it decides which website reaches that prestigious place at the top of the first page?
The answer is easy – it all comes down to search engine optimisation (SEO).
While it’s a complex process, all you basically have to do is make your keywords relevant to your content, keep that content regular and clickable, merge your website with your social accounts and make your page design intuitive.
Keep your optimisation consistent (it’s a slow process) and you’ll be racing up the Google search rankings quicker than Mo Farah riding a bullet train.
Know your fans
Your audience won’t stay interested for long if you don’t know how to talk to them. That used to be simpler back in the old days of billboards and ads on the telly – but now there are social networks to worry about.
Just imagine a funeral services company taking coffin selfies on Instagram – their audience would leave in droves.
Craft your social networks to fit your audience and they’ll stick around for far longer.
