How to Take Your Offline Business Online

With technology the way it is anymore, people are doing online searches for just about anything and everything. People will do a search to find information on schools in their area, churches, and any type of business that they want to find.

With that said, it’s important that every business have a website or at least a blog that people will be able to find and read. The more they find about you and your business, the better off you will be and the more likely they are to shop with you.

I recommend creating at least a one page website. You will want to include a little about your business, what you offer, how they can find you, your phone number, and your store hours. Including a map would be great.

This one page site will be the first impression people may have of you, so you want it to look its best. Make it look professional yet fun. You will also want it to match what you do in your business. For example, if you own a furniture store, you should include pictures of the furniture you offer. If it’s at all possible, take pictures of the furniture in your store. This will show people that you really do have a store front and it will be inviting for them.

While a one page site is good, it would be better if you included a second page that had customer testimonies. People always want to read good things from other people before they make a purchase from a business they have never used before. Offering these testimonies will increase your sales and traffic to your store.

Offering products online is a great way to get sales even though people don’t come to your store. Online sales can be a little tricky if you receive a purchase from someone that is not in your area, but it’s a great thing because they will likely buy more and they may even stop in your store when they come to your area.

Another way you can get your business in front of the online world is to create a blog. A blog is an online or web log. You make posts that contain any kind of information you want. This is a great way to show your online readers what you have going on in your store and what specials you are running. If you get a new product, you can take a picture of it and include that in a post. You can also include customer testimonies from your in store visitors. Another idea for a post is to take pictures of customers in your store. Make sure you get their permission before using their picture.

It doesn’t matter what type of business you run, you should have a website or blog created for you. Even a small locally owned business should consider this to increase business. Businesses such as plumbers, mechanics, jewelry shops, or used clothing stores should have a website online. Increasing the traffic to your store and your sales is what you are in business for and a website can help you do this and so much more.

Corrie Petersen is a successful Virtual Assistant and she's the owner of WAHM-Articles.com