So You Have A Website. How's That Working For You?

Nothing troubles me more than to see a website built by a business (probably the owner him or herself) and content does not change, pictures of staff who no longer work there, or even old addresses from where the business once was
located.  A website can be a powerful tool if you maintain it.  To throw something up and see if it sticks is insane.  I visit a lot with SMB's and I ask them. "How is your website doing?"  I get back "Well we have one if that's what you mean."  You start talking analytics, key words,
content management, and they all give you this blank look.  With today's technology, data streaming, market targeting, and embedded analytics, if you do not understand the real purpose of your website, then you seriously should not
even have one.  You have to maintain your website and change the content frequently and you should also embed at the very least Google Analytics to track your hits and see whats working for you.  A website can be a powerful marketing tool, but you have to empower it to work for you.

A recent study shows that only 25% of SMB' use any kind of tracking tool  So what are the other 75% doing?  Nothing.  Using reported data properly can tell you not only who is visiting your site but when, what pages they are looking at, and this is just a small sampling of all the data you can use.  I am only mentioning Google analytics because it is free for most of its basic services. We are in a digital and competitive world today. With the proper tools, even small businesses can compete with the big boys if you know
your market, use your web site to gain that data, and keep your content rich with key words that will attract todays buyers and market share.  I highly encourage you to revisit your website and look at it carefully.  Embed an
analytic tool and use it!  If you find it too complicated, then hire a web service to do it for you or ask one your employees who may be web savvy to help you.  It will be a win-win situation for your entire team.