In This Episode:
Christine Telyan, Co-founder, and CEO of UENI (pronounced You and I) has built almost 700k websites for business owners. She explains to Kelly and Brian how business owners can get their websites ready for the upcoming holiday season. GREAT tips!
Advice from Christine:
- Getting Started is the Biggest Challenge: The biggest obstacle for businesses transitioning online is getting started. Many are enticed by DIY website builders, thinking it’ll be easy, but often face challenges in executing a functional website.
- Limitations of DIY Solutions: Most who start with DIY website builders fail to launch a successful website. This could be attributed to the complexity of building a site which involves multiple aspects like copywriting, SEO, design, etc.
- Cost Consideration for Professional Development: Many small business owners are wary of the costs of hiring professional web developers. A survey that found 53% of small businesses wanted to revamp their website in 2023, anticipate an average spend of $2,400.
- Confidence and Technical Challenges: There’s a prevailing lack of confidence among business owners when it comes to tech. While social media platforms are deemed more accessible, the idea of a full-blown website feels daunting to many.
- Relevance and Authority in Search: Google values content that is relevant and authoritative. Websites that provide valuable answers will often receive backlinks from other sites, establishing their trustworthiness and improving their search ranking.
- Website Quality: A good website engages visitors, but a great one converts them into customers. It’s essential to aim for greatness, emphasizing the importance of presenting products, services, teams, or knowledge effectively.
- User Experience: Websites need to be mobile-friendly since most traffic is mobile-first. The speed of site loading is crucial; beyond 2-3 seconds, bounce rates increase. Additionally, having a clean design without excessive clutter helps improve user experience.
- Information Architecture: It’s essential for visitors to navigate a site intuitively. This involves structured navigation, proper text formatting, and SEO techniques like title tags, meta descriptions, and proper keyword tags for images and content. Also, interlinking with other online properties like social media is vital.
- Social Media Conversion: Many businesses fail to optimize their social media for business adequately. By syncing product feeds from websites to platforms like Facebook Business, Instagram Shop, and Google Shopping, businesses can tap into some of the world’s most trafficked platforms and enhance their visibility.
- Website Creation Timeline: All the websites that UENI builds for small business owners are constructed within seven days, making it especially beneficial for businesses aiming to establish an online presence ahead of peak seasons or events, such as the holidays.
- Personalization for Businesses: It’s important for UENI to understand a business’s USP (Unique Selling Proposition). Their platform uses a variety of tools, including APIs to integrate data from social media platforms, to make websites unique and tailored to each business owner’s story and mission.
- Online Presence is Essential: The rise of giants like Amazon and increased competition across industries emphasizes the need for small businesses to establish a robust online presence, integrating both their websites and social properties.
