How to Optimize Your Small Business Website for Marketing from the Beginning
5 minute read
Your Website = Your Sales MVP
Or at least it should be.
In today's online world, your website isn't just a digital business card â it's your 24/7 sales lead who never calls in sick and is always ready to engage with potential clients.
We know them well: they work the crowd at events like no other, stack business cards with ease, embody professionalism, influence, authority, clarity, and a 5-star client experience. They develop interest, nurture consideration, and convert warms leads to buyers⊠Sounds too good to be true, right?
With a strategic foundation in marketing and strategy, it doesnât have to be.
Optimizing your website for lead-generation starts with implementing a few simple foundations (really, this isnât an extensive strategy - this is getting started) in the initial design, copy and development of your website. If you build your website with marketing in mind, not just looks, youâll be influencing an engaged audience in no-time.
Ready to put your Sales MVP to work while you focus on running your business?
Hi - Iâm Brooke, Owner, Brand Strategist & Small Business Cheerleader at Bspace Studio đ
Over a decade in marketing, Iâve designed and written dozens of websites and marketing materials for clients ranging from small service businesses to global B2B corporations.
Today, Iâm passionate about sharing that knowledge with small businesses through tools that make their life easier and custom branding services that empower their performance.
Here are my 3 Top Tips for Owners & Founders Looking to Marketing-Optimize Their Small Business Website
The lifeblood of an honest brand community that happily and willingly subscribes to receive your content and engages with you (because they want to) is effective content marketing. Without strategic storytelling and content, your ideal audiences wonât know who you are, what you offer or why they need you.
Itâs no secret content marketing is here to stay. Whether thatâs by blogs, reels, long-form videos, podcasts, email or other nurture channel, itâs potential impacts are huge, and smart business owners are taking advantage.
More leads, better qualified & ready leads, brand equity and awareness⊠the list goes on.
Focusing on organic brand engagement and trust-building in the beginning, not just paid ads, cold calling or cold emailing, will benefit your brand presence hugely in the long-run.
Why? Because youâll be marketing from a strategic foundation, so your voice and visuals will be more effective across every channel. Lead with organic connection and messaging, invest in paid ads only once your message is proven. Here are a few simple tips you can implement from the beginning:
Dial in your messaging â positioning, clarity & tone
We donât cut corner on copy around here. Strategic brand messaging and storytelling help you position your offers in their (your future customers) world. Messaging that resonates + imagery that tell your unique story = a match made in heaven.
Every business, regardless of size, should have a Brand Message House â a reference document that acts as the North Star for all marketing & communications for your business. A Message House details your value propositions, target audiences, offer suite, SEO keywords and much more.
Together, these â words, names, phrases, descriptions, taglines â tell your brand story.
Your brand messaging & website copy should:
Speak to your unique ideal clientsâ pains, needs & dreams
Shows your niche/defined audience that you know them
Illustrate how your offerings solve their problems
Offer a âLead Magnetâ in exchange for contact information so you can build an email list from the beginning
What value, knowledge, resource, education or template could you offer your audience that would make their life easier? We call these lead-generation tools âLead Magnetsâ, âFreebiesâ or âOpt-In Incentivesâ. They attract ideal buyers into your digital world, allowing you to ask for their contact information & consent to send marketing communications before you hand over the resource.
Itâs a common strategy for community-building and growing organic email lists of interested buyers. This is not cold emailing - this is focused on nurturing ideal clients to conversion, whether thatâs âPurchasedâ, âCall Bookedâ, or âSubscribedâ.
Whatever action youâre steering, Lead Magnets can help you get there, and grow wallet share post-sale. All with strategic email marketing.
Strategizing and promoting an opt-in incentive from the beginning takes advantage of every visitor to your site - which as a small business are essential. It doesnât have to be complicated - start with something as simple as a one-page PDF that features top tips & advice relating to your niche (that makes their life easier). Use a tool like Canva to bring it to life, and host it on your website behind a lead form.
Just donât leave organic website traffic out to dry! Welcome them into your digital funnel where you can nurture their interest.
Prove your authority and expertise with content marketing
Build credibility and prove your authority as a (service provider, owner, expert, founder, author, coach, etc.) with value-add content marketing that helps, entertains and inspires. Cement your expertise with prospects through thought-leadership blogs, videos or other content that keeps audiences engaged, reminds them of their needs, and reinforces your offers as a viable solution.
Aimlessly posting on social media for the heck of it? Re-work your content creation process to lead with the development of longer-form content like blogs, case studies and videos first. Then, use an Ai tool to transform that long-form content into many bite-sized promos you can share on your socials. End captions & graphics with a strategic call-to-action (CTA) that leads audiences to your website for the full experience, where they (hopefully!) opt-in to your email list (a âdigital nurture funnelâ is born).
Simply put, having a beautiful website isn't enough - and if thatâs all your website is, youâre leaving interested buyers out to dry. A website is an experience that should be infused with marketing best practices to make the most of the investment.
Considering hiring a website designer for your small business?
Who you hire to bring your hard-earned dream to life is a big decision.
When you hire us to design, write and develop your small business website, you get a partner in achieving your business goals. Weâre focused on creating websites that are more than digital brochures - theyâre an essential link in your lead-generation tool belt.
Take a peak at our proven website design & copy process, or submit a project inquiry to get started today.
01: MESSAGING
We turn your rough bullet points into crisp messaging
Not much of a writer? No worries. We help dial-in your messaging from rough bullet-points to polished website copy that attracts and converts. We take your industry knowledge and transform it into strategic, conversion-focused content that speaks directly to your ideal clients.
We work with you to consult and create a list of relevant keywords before ensuring theyâre integrated throughout your site. We help you craft and refine compelling value propositions, and weave in trust-building elements that showcase your expertise.
The result? Content that ranks better in search and influences organic traffic to âInquiry Submitted!â, âBooked!â and âSubscribed!â.
02: USER EXPERIENCE
We make sure your site performs
A marketing-optimized website must be accessible and a seamless user experience. We create intuitive navigation structures where crucial information is never more than three clicks away. Our designs are fully mobile-optimized and comply with WCAG 2.0 standards, so you can be compliant in your digital presence.
We design with user experience in mind, developing intuitive and adaptable layouts so your site performs across all devices.
03: LEAD-GEN
We prime your site for list-building & lead-generation
This is where we really differentiate ourselves: we don't just build websites â we build lead generation systems. We help you create and optimize compelling offers, strategic opt-in incentives, email list building campaigns, and calls-to-action that drive results.
This is the extra critical effort that makes your website Your Sales MVP, not just a passive information hub.
Our approach focuses on optimizing websites for future nurture and content marketing so you can engage your audience long-after they first visited your site. And best of all, if you work with us on our host platform Squarespace, we teach you how to maintain and update your site with ease. No need to pay & wait on a Designer for every edit you need to your site, whether thatâs adding a new blog or event. Our 1:1 offboarding training and recorded âHow-Toâ video will have you covered.
Squarespace also makes starting and managing your digital nurture funnel is easy. Leverage email campaigns, list segmenting, redirects, document hosting and other integrated tools.
Squarespace is much more than a âwebsite platformâ, itâs an essential business and marketing tool - which is why we love it for small business owners. SO much value.
Keeping the Momentum: Ongoing Content Strategy
A truly effective website evolves with your business. We'll help you develop a content strategy that keeps your site fresh and engaging, consistently drawing visitors back and establishing authority in your field (think blogs, more opt-in incentives and value-add long-form content strategy).
The bottom line? In today's competitive market, you need more than just a pretty website. You need a strategic marketing asset that works around the clock to attract, engage, and convert visitors into clients. That's exactly what we deliver â a website that not only looks professional but actively contributes to your business growth.
Ready to transform your online presence into your best sales representative? Get in touch to talk about creating a website that works for you.
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