Simple Ways To Upgrade Your Website On A Budget

For most small businesses, there are limitations when it comes to marketing services because of company finances.

It’s called operating on a BUDGET!

Work may be needed to upgrade your online presence, but there is not always enough meat on the bone to do full redesigns on your company website.

Sometimes, just a few simple tweaks can give a radically fresh appearance and jump start your online marketing presence.

Let’s talk about these inexpensive but effective techniques to upgrade your web design while not breaking the bank:

• Start blogging regularly
• Boost website visibility with SEO
• Change your images
• Incorporate social proof
• Get an outside opinion

Start Blogging Regularly

By far, one of the most effective ways to ramp up your online marketing and improve the messaging of your company website is business blogging.  If you are not already doing it, you should consider implementing a regular blogging strategy……NOW!

What is a blog? A blog is a type of website or online platform where individuals or groups regularly post informal articles, often in a conversational style, on various topics such as experiences, opinions or niche interests. Blogs can be a valuable component of businesses' marketing strategies, providing a platform to share industry insights, engage with audiences and establish expertise, ultimately enhancing brand visibility and customer relations.

A Hubspot Marketing Trends Report found that blogging is one of the top media formats that marketers plan to leverage for the first time in 2024. Users with the popular web content management system Wordpress produce nearly 70 million new posts each month alone. 

Every day, Google processes nearly 8.5 billion searches. Some of those searches are likely related to the type of products or services that you offer. Companies with an effective blogging strategy are destroying their peers. 

In fact, brands that prioritize blogging see a whopping 13 times more ROI (return on investment) than brands that don’t. Businesses that blog also generate 67% more leads than companies that don’t.

Many businesses shy away from blogging, thinking it is difficult or too time-consuming. However, if you are an expert on your product or service and have value to provide to your potential customers, you have the basis for a great blog. 

Turning those solutions into blog articles is the key to producing great content and helping other potential customers who would be ideal candidates for your business. 

Quick Tip: Write about the things that your customer is interested in, not about how great your business is. Include a call to action (CTA) at the end of the blog article that offers something of value to the person reading your blog article. This could be an ebook, seminar or one-on-one consultation. When that person clicks on the CTA, it will take the individual back to your website where you can capture their contact information in exchange for the offer.

Boost Website Visibility With SEO

Incorporating do-it-yourself SEO practices is a cost-effective way to enhance your website's visibility and improve its performance on search engines. Here are some simple strategies you can implement to optimize your website without breaking the bank:

• Optimize Meta Titles and Descriptions: Craft compelling meta titles and descriptions for each page on your website. These elements provide a brief summary of the content and play a crucial role in search engine results. Ensure they accurately reflect the page's content, incorporate relevant keywords and entice users to click.
• Keyword Research and Usage: Conduct keyword research to identify terms and phrases relevant to your business. Integrate these keywords naturally into your website's content, headings and meta tags. However, avoid keyword stuffing and instead prioritize creating high-quality, informative content that resonates with your audience.
• Create a Sitemap: Develop a sitemap for your website. A sitemap is a file that provides a map of the pages on your site to assist search engines in crawling and indexing content more efficiently. Many content management systems (CMS) offer plugins or tools to automatically generate sitemaps, simplifying the process.
• Optimize Image Alt Text: Don't overlook image optimization. Assign descriptive and keyword-rich alt text to your images. This not only improves accessibility for users with visual impairments but also provides search engines with additional context about your content.
• Quality Content Creation: Prioritize the creation of high-quality, valuable content like the blog posts we talked about above. Search engines favor content that meets users' needs and provides insightful information. Other effective types include videos, ebooks and long-form content that thoroughly explains relevant topics. Regularly update your website with fresh, relevant content to demonstrate authority in your industry.
• Responsive Design: Ensure your website has a responsive website design that adapts to various devices and screen sizes. Search engines prioritize mobile-friendly websites, and responsive design contributes to a positive user experience, which can positively impact search rankings.
• Internal Linking: Implement internal linking to connect relevant web pages within your website. This not only helps users navigate your site more easily but also distributes link equity, enhancing the overall SEO structure of your website.
• Monitor Website Speed: Page speed is a crucial factor for both user experience and search rankings. Use online tools to analyze and optimize your website's loading speed. Compress images, leverage browser caching, and minimize unnecessary elements to ensure swift page loading times.

By embracing these DIY SEO practices, you can take proactive steps to improve your website's visibility on search engines, attract more organic traffic, and enhance the overall online presence of your business – all within the constraints of a budget.

Change Your Images

When we are asked to review websites for potential customers, one of the biggest problems that we encounter and one of the simplest issues to correct is images.

For many websites, particularly those that are built by do-it-yourselfers, one of the biggest issues is poor imagery. There are either few to no pictures or visuals that do not adequately represent your brand.

Appealing images transcend language and words and allow for a greater understanding of whatever is being discussed. First impressions are formed within seconds and since most of the information we consume and interpret is visual, quality design can make your site and your brand stick in a consumer’s mind as professional and credible. 

On the contrary, bad imagery or a heavily text-based site are among the quickest ways to send a prospective customer fleeing from your website. Web developers know that an attractive website requires fresh images.

How ever, you don’t need to be a graphic designer to create fresh images for your website, and you just need a simple tool to create decent images.

One of our favorites in Canva.

Canva is a tool loaded with enough easy-to-use features and functionality that anyone can create a variety of engaging content that can update the look and feel of your site.

Canva is easy to use and has a significant collection of images that continues to grow. It’s perfect for small businesses that cannot afford to hire a graphic designer. It is also a great tool to use to create inexpensive graphics to use on your social media channels.

Incorporate Social Proof

Social proof is one of the most powerful ways to breathe life into a stale website while increasing the conversion of visitors into leads.

What is social proof? Social proof is a psychological phenomenon where people tend to follow the actions and choices of others in uncertain situations. Businesses can incorporate social proof into their website by showcasing customer testimonials, reviews, ratings and endorsements, demonstrating the positive experiences and satisfaction of previous customers to build trust and credibility among potential clients.

Nearly 9 in 10 consumers check online reviews before making a purchase. Your reputation matters, and if you’re looking for ways to improve your conversion rates, including social proof is an effective way to show potential customers that others have benefited from your products or services. 

Get an Outside Opinion

Blogging a few times per month and reviewing your site content on a quarterly or semi-annual basis will go a long way toward keeping your online presence relevant to your customers.

However, if it has been a while since you last updated your company website, your online presence MAY BE HURTING your business more than helping it.

When considering upgrading your website on a budget, seeking an outside opinion from a trusted source, such as an experienced marketing agency, is crucial. While it's tempting to view your website with rose-colored glasses, an external perspective can offer valuable insights and identify areas for improvement that may have been overlooked. 

What do marketing firms do? Even on a budget, top-notch marketing agencies understand the constraints and can craft a customized plan to enhance your online presence without breaking the bank.

Collaborating with a marketing agency is often more cost-effective than hiring an in-house marketing team as well. Agencies bring a wealth of experience and diverse skill sets, allowing you to access a range of expertise without the time and money of maintaining a full-time staff. Their tailored solutions can address specific needs, ensuring that your budget is maximized for optimal results.

You can see just how much more cost-effective it is hiring a marketing agency than a team of in-house staff in our article, How Much Does It Cost To Hire A Marketing Team?

Investing in a marketing agency is not just an expense; it's an investment in the future growth of your business. The dividends come in the form of increased brand visibility, enhanced customer engagement and a strategic approach to online marketing. 

By leveraging the expertise of a reputable agency, businesses can navigate the digital landscape more efficiently, making the most of their resources and positioning themselves for long-term success.