The problem is that most people don’t use it correctly.

They type in a one-line prompt, take whatever generic response they get and call it a day. They churn out AI-generated content and wonder why it doesn’t rank. SEO isn’t just about pushing words onto a page; it’s about trust, expertise and context. And AI doesn’t inherently have those things. But it can help you build them.

At its core, SEO is laborious: Keyword research, content creation, technical audits and competitor analysis. AI won’t do it all for you, but it can automate the repetitive, speed up the tedious and help you get more done for less. The key is knowing where and how to use it.

Before we go through some of the most effective – and creative – ways that you can use AI for your business’ website, let’s go through some common mistakes people make.

Mistake #1: Using one-line prompts and ending up with generic, low-value content

People assume AI can read minds. They give it vague prompts like: “Write a blog about the best SEO strategies.”

AI then pulls together a mash-up of generic tips from random blogs used to train its LLM (Large Language Model). Nothing that Google – or your audience – hasn’t seen a thousand times.

A better approach? Treat AI like an intern – give it clear instructions, context and a specific goal.

Try: “Write a 1500-word guide on SEO strategies for e-commerce websites. Cover technical SEO, product page optimisation and link-building. Keep it conversational, with real-world examples. Avoid generic advice like ‘use keywords’ and focus on advanced tactics.”

Now, AI has clear guidelines to follow. It knows the audience (e-commerce site owners), the tone (conversational) and the structure (detailed strategies with examples).

Don’t expect AI to do all the work while you sit back. After all, you wouldn’t tell a junior employee to write a report and expect perfection. You’d guide them and add your expertise. AI is no different.

Wrong ways to use AI:

• Ask for a full blog post and copy-paste whatever it gives.
• Expect AI to understand nuance without context.
• Use AI-generated content without fact-checking or editing.

Right ways to use AI:

• Use AI to brainstorm ideas and refine rough drafts.
• Guide AI with detailed prompts and clear instructions.
• Edit, fact-check and add human insight.

Mistake #2: Publishing AI content without trust signals

Think of AI like an eager student: It’s great at summarising existing information but terrible at establishing authority. A search engine isn’t just looking for content, it’s looking for content that deserves to rank.

What doesn’t work:

• AI-generated content with no real expertise.
• Articles that repeat what’s already ranking.
• Blog posts with no human perspective or unique insights.

What works:

• Adding real examples (case studies, first-hand experience or industry data).
• Using authoritative sources to back up claims.
• Injecting a human voice.

The above ‘What works’ examples are all ‘trust signals’, which will tell search engines that your content should rank higher.

Let’s say you’re writing about technical SEO mistakes:

A generic text would look like this: “One common mistake is not optimising site speed. A slow website can negatively impact rankings and user experience.”

A stronger, more trustworthy version would look like this: “A slow website doesn’t just frustrate users; it can kill conversions. In 2023, Google reported that if a page takes longer than three seconds to load, 53 per cent of mobile users will abandon it. One of our clients, an e-commerce store, saw a 27 per cent increase in sales just by reducing load time from 4.5 seconds to 2.8 seconds.”

See the difference? The second example contains real data and real impact. That’s what makes content credible.

How to use AI the right way for SEO

Most people just use AI for content generation, but that’s like buying a Swiss Army knife just to open bottles. AI can streamline keyword research, content strategy, technical SEO and competitor analysis, saving you time, effort and money.

The key? Use AI strategically: Feed it the right inputs, refine outputs and leverage its capabilities beyond content creation.

Let’s break down some ways you can use AI to make sure your business ranks.

Conducting keyword research

Many people approach keyword research like they’re shopping for groceries – grabbing items off the shelf without thinking about the full meal. AI changes that. Instead of looking at individual keywords in silos, AI helps you see the bigger picture – related terms, supporting topics and the entire search-intent funnel.

Most people blindly trust keyword research tools like Ahrefs or Google Keyword Planner (GKP). But here’s the catch: Ahrefs relies on historical data and averages, meaning it doesn’t always detect emerging trends. GKP excludes many valuable keywords and often pushes advertisers toward higher CPC terms.

AI can process vast amounts of data and help uncover hidden opportunities. Say you’re selling smartphones. Instead of just targeting ‘best smartphones’, AI can:

• Identify related searches: ‘Best camera phone under $1000’.
• Surface supporting products: Screen protectors, fast chargers, wireless earbuds.
• Spot seasonal trends: ‘Best phone for Christmas 2025’.

Why does it matter? Because Google doesn’t look at a keyword in isolation – it looks at context. The better your content fits into a larger ecosystem of related queries, the stronger your SEO strategy.

Make transcripts of audio or video content

Do you have any audio or visual content on your website? Don’t just optimise titles and descriptions; turn your audio and video into transcripts for easy content. 

Use AI to transcribe and summarise videos for blog content. You can also extract key insights for FAQs, snippets or even social-media posts, which then link back to the main content on your website.

For example, a 20-minute podcast on digital marketing can be repurposed into:

• A 1500-word blog post.
• A Twitter thread of key takeaways.
• A LinkedIn post with insights from the discussion.

Use AI for schema markup

Help search engines better understand your website content by using schema markup. This step is often very intimidating for non-technical business owners. Even something as simple as JSON-LD can look like hieroglyphics. But structured data boosts visibility in search results with rich snippets, FAQs and star ratings, so you should be using it if you want to rank highly.

AI can generate schema for you, explain errors in schema markup, and fix or validate structure data before you implement it.

AI can generate:

• FAQ Schema
• Product Schema
• Event Schema

… but always validate it in Google’s Rich Results Test.

Check out competitors’ SEO strategies

If you want to see how your top competitors are optimising for search, there’s no need to manually check all of their blogs, titles and metadata. 

AI can visit your competitors’ site and scrape the top 10 ranking pages for a given keyword. It can analyse meta titles and descriptions, heading structures (H1, H2, H3s), common themes and formatting tricks. You can then use what you find to edit your own content. For example, if three of your top competitors use ‘2025’ in their blog titles, guess what? You should, too.

What AI can do:

• Analyse the top-10 ranking pages for keywords.
• Identify common themes in metadata, content length (word count), and keyword usage.
• Identify other content styles, like product comparison tables.

Say you want to scan a competitor’s page to see if they’re using structured data. Instead of digging through their source code, you can:

• Create a JavaScript bookmarklet that extracts schema markup.
• Click it while on their page.
• AI instantly summarises what schema they’re using and how it affects rankings.
• It saves you hours of manual checking and gives you instant insights into competitor SEO strategies.

Identify duplicate content issues

Google considers duplicate content as not having any value, small changes can make a big difference. AI can compare your content to your competitors’ and highlight similarities. Then, you can ask it to rewrite your content to be unique, keyword-rich and engaging.

Fix Google Search Console (GSC) errors

It can be hard to understand error messages if you’re not tech savvy. AI can act as an SEO translator for non-tech users by breaking down tech speak into actionable fixes in plain English. 

For example:

• Error: “Page indexed, but blocked by robots.txt”
• AI explanation: “Google tried to index your page but was blocked. Check robots.txt and remove disallow rules.”

Automate technical SEO Tasks

There are lots of small, repetitive, and/or technical SEO-related tasks that AI can help with. For instance, AI can:

• Create robots.txt
• Create sitemaps
• Create hreflang tags
• Check title tags
• Scan for broken links
• Monitor redirects

Handle Google warnings

Ever had Google flag your site with a site safety warning or a CrUX (Chrome User Experience) issue? It’s like getting a cryptic message from a mechanic: “Your car has an issue, but we’re not going to tell you exactly what’s wrong.”

Instead of seeing a Google warning and blindly tweaking code without understanding the root cause, or spending hours Googling solutions, hoping for a fix, use an AI-enhanced approach.

AI-enhanced approach:

1. Upload your source code to AI and ask it to diagnose issues.
2. Get an easy-to-understand explanation of what’s broken and how to fix it.

Using AI to reduce friction between funnel stages

SEO is not about just rankings, it’s also about moving users through the sales funnel. Most businesses lose potential customers because of friction between Tofu (Top of Funnel), Mofu (Middle of Funnel) and Bofu (Bottom of Funnel).

This friction can occur when you expect users to convert immediately after reading a blog without considering what might be stopping them from taking action.

AI can map out user journeys and identify gaps in content. It can suggest micro-conversions to move users smoothly from top of funnel to middle of funnel to bottom of funnel.

For example, say you have an e-commerce store selling running shoes. A blog post on ‘Best running shoes for flat feet’ is getting traffic, but people aren’t buying.

AI can help by:

• Analysing drop-off points (where users leave without purchasing).
• Suggesting content upgrades (like an interactive shoe selector).
• Optimising calls to action (for example, changing ‘Buy now’ to ‘Find your perfect fit’).

The key takeaway? AI isn’t just for content – use it for keyword discovery, technical fixes, automation, competitor research and more. The smarter you use AI, the further you’ll outpace those still doing everything manually.

• This article first appeared in issue 48 of the Inside Small Business quarterly magazine.

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So, you have just paid a developer a wad of cash to build you a shiny new website.

She has given you a login to ‘cPanel’ and suggested that you keep all the software updated – and you are now starting to realise that there is a cost of ownership for websites. They are not set and forget!

No stress.  In this article, we will break it down to the basics to give you a complete understanding of website maintenance. This will empower you to do it yourself or know what to ask when outsourcing it.

What is website maintenance?

The majority (62 per cent) of all Websites are built with WordPress, a Content Management System (CMS). Other CMSS include Wix, Shopify, Squarespace, Joomla, and more. This article will focus on WordPress maintenance.

What is a CMS? In the early days of websites, developers used programming languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to build websites, as well as various tools to manage them and to present web pages on the screen. A CMS is a ‘one-stop shop’ that brings all these tools together to simplify and streamline the website development process.

The WordPress CMS has a few key components that need to be maintained:

• Themes (think styling)
• Plugins (like apps for your phone)
• WordPress version itself
• PHP (think middle-man between your website and web server)

Why do you need to maintain your website?

• Software updates. If you have a mobile phone, you will be used to getting software updates for your phone’s operating system. All your CMS components will need to be updated as new versions come out.  This is important to keep your website secure.
• Backups. You wouldn’t go on a road trip without a spare tyre! A backup does one better – it’s a spare car! If the car breaks down, jump in the spare car and continue the journey. If your site breaks down, restore from a backup and happy days.
• Security. You probably know someone whose website or social media account has been hacked. Prevention is always better than a cure, but regular scans can detect breaches early.
• Performance. Your website visitors and Google don’t like slow sites, and regular scans can spot any slowdowns.
• Links. Your website should have internal links to other pages and external links to other sites.  Sometimes these links end up pointing to a dead end. Google and SEO don’t like that. Check them regularly.
• Uptime monitoring. If your business relies on your website being available 24/7, ‘someone’ should be monitoring it and taking action if it goes off air.

What are typical costs?

Costs vary widely for website maintenance – anything from $40 to $1,000 a month.  The variables that impact price are:

• The size and complexity of the website – bigger sites with e-commerce may require more frequent backups and more updates
• The technology used on the website – specialist resources may be required in some cases
• The level of support included in the plan
• Premium plugins – some sites need paid plugins (small programs that support larger programs) to provide special functionality, and your developer may pass on the license fees.
• Some developers may include set hours to provide content updates

How often does your website need maintenance?

As you now know, things like backups, security and performance scans should be done fairly often, and other activities may be done on an as-needed basis.

DIY maintenance

If you have the time and some basic technical skills, you can perform basic maintenance tasks like backups, software updates and performance and security checks.

The most important thing for DIYers is to have a solid backup and restore process – but there are plenty of free plugins that can automate this. 

Bonus tip: If you take backups, store them somewhere other than your website server. Google Drive and Dropbox will do the job.  Storing backups on your web server is like leaving your spare keys in the car – it won’t end well if you lock yourself out.

Outsourcing maintenance

When you outsource, what communications should you expect from your website maintenance professional? The last thing you want is to pay a monthly subscription fee and never hear from your maintenance provider. You figure no news is good news. Right? A good provider will provide a monthly report to show what has been done, including any downtime, etc. They may also issue general alerts, tips, and tricks from time to time.

Red flags when hiring someone to maintain your website

Now that you know what is involved in website maintenance, you know what to look for.  Red flags could include

• No reporting or communication
• No breakdown of costings
• No one-one-one support
• Unexplained outages or site slowdowns

Regular website maintenance protects your website, ensures good performance, and maintains search visibility. Whether you manage it yourself or outsource, knowing what’s involved will help you stay ahead of problems – and to intervene if need be.

The post What you should expect from your website maintenance provider appeared first on Inside Small Business.

Peter Curran, founder and business development manager at Digital Surfer, has expressed alarm at how common it is now for buyers to purchase businesses without gaining full control of their online presence, such as Google Business Profiles, social media accounts, and domain names.

Curran warned that this situation can adversely impact customer acquisition, credibility, and revenue.

“We’ve seen an increasing number of business buyers who assume that things like their Google Business Profile or Instagram account will just come with the purchase,” said Curran. “But unless it’s explicitly transferred and ownership details are updated, they’re often locked out, or worse, left starting from scratch.”

Curran added that the problem is not limited to business sales. Many businesses that engage digital agencies also find themselves without administrative access to their websites, ad accounts, or business profiles. In some cases, agencies register assets under their own name and fail to provide adequate transparency.

“We’ve had clients come to us who’ve spent tens of thousands with an agency, only to find out they can’t access their Google Ads account or website backend,” he noted. “That’s unacceptable. Businesses should always have ownership or administrative rights over their digital assets.”

Digital Surfer is advising business owners and buyers conduct a digital asset audit to ensure all critical logins and ownership details are accounted for, particularly the business’ Google Business Profile (GBP), website domain registrations, website hosting and CMS access, email hosting, Google Analytics and Google Ads accounts, and social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, among others.

“Digital presence is often one of the most valuable assets a business has,” said Curran. “Not having access means you’re operating blind – or not operating at all.”

The post Buyer beware: Are you missing key digital assets when you buy a business? appeared first on Inside Small Business.

But they aren’t. The problem is that you are working on the wrong things.

Your time is getting wasted on unnecessary features, design changes, and guessing what works instead of using the data to back it up. Instead of making websites more effective, these things slow them down, frustrate users, and add more work in the long run.

If you want your website to work for you, we need to focus on what actually improves user experience, conversions and website efficiency.

Here are the biggest time-wasters to avoid:

1. Overloading your website with features

A lot of business owners think the more features a website has the better it will perform, but that isn’t true. Here are some common website features that can actually do more harm than good if not used correctly:

• Too many popups that drive visitors away before they even get to read your content.
• Autoplaying videos that haven’t been optimised can slow your website down and annoy users
• Excessive animations that make it hard to focus on important information.
• Chatbots that are super generic and don’t answer the right questions.
• Overcomplicated menus that make users work too hard to find what they need.

Instead, be sure to only include features that add value. It’s always best to prioritise website loading speed over complicated features.

2. Spending more time on your website than your customers do

I see so many business owners constantly tweaking their websites and obsessing over tiny details. Not only is this bad for your brand, but most users also don’t notice these things.

What do they really care about? Getting the information they need quickly and easily.

If someone lands on your site and doesn’t immediately know what you do, who you do it for, and where they need to go next, you are losing leads and sales.

Try this:

• Stick to your brand guidelines! Your brand should have specific fonts and colours that are unique to your business and made to engage your target audience.
• Keep it simple and don’t waste your time obsessing over flashy animations and aesthetics.
• Make changes based on what your customers like and need, not personal preference.

3. Not tracking website performance

If you’re making website updates without tracking results and customer behaviour, you’re just winging it. So many business owners guess what’s working instead of looking at the data.

Be sure to do the following:

• Check your load speed – Slow load times lead to high bounce rates which means people leave before even looking around.
• Look at your conversion rate – if your visitors aren’t taking action on your website, your call-to-actions may need some work.
• Check your “time on page” data – if people stick around, your content is engaging. If they don’t, you may need to fix your layout and work on your content.

Stop wasting time on insignificant features and minor design changes that nobody sees and concentrate on user experience improvements that lead to higher conversion rates. Focus on simplicity and use the data to guide you when making changes to your website.

Spend less time tinkering and more time getting results.

The post The three biggest business website time-wasters and what to do instead appeared first on Inside Small Business.

As a result, there is growing interest among Australian consumers in where they can find the right channels to buy products from small, homegrown brands. Here are some of the best platforms consumers can visit to show their support for these small brands.

Spend With Us

The Australia-made, online Spend With Us – Buy From a Bush Business Marketplace offers an extensive directory of rural and regional small businesses and their products. Spend With Us aims to support rural businesses that have been affected by bushfires, the pandemic and inflation, and are struggling to compete due to location, size and technological challenges. It provides them with a platform where they can reach more people.

Etsy

Etsy is an online marketplace that focuses on selling handmade items and craft supplies, many of which the sellers create themselves. These items fall under a wide range of categories, including jewellery, bags, clothing, craft supplies and tools. The app is a haven where artisan brands and entrepreneurs can showcase their creations and build a following from the many visitors who browse the platform each month.

MyDeal.com.au

MyDeal.com.au is a proudly Australia-made online marketplace that connects millions of customers to thousands of retailers, with a focus on smaller brands. The app specifically focuses on brands and items related to the home, from furniture to homewares to garden items to toys. MyDeal also offers a unique feature wherein it provides small-business loans to sellers needing financial assistance, giving sellers not only a place to market their products, but also an alternative financing facility.

Gumtree

Gumtree is regarded as Australia’s ‘local marketplace’ and it has become the default go-to place for people looking to buy or sell just about anything within their local community. The app boasts over 3 million listings across hundreds of categories, a facility that has prompted many sole traders and start-up brands to list their products and services on the site to get the word out about their offers and establish a customer following from there.

eBay.com.au

While eBay is a popular mainstream eCommerce site, it is also a platform for buying from local businesses. This is made possible by the Australian Made campaign, which has its own hub inside eBay. There, shoppers can find, in one convenient location, all products across a wide range of categories that bear the iconic ‘Australian Made’ logo, providing consumers with the peace of mind that they are buying from genuine homegrown brands.

Amazon.com.au

As the most recognisable brand in global online retailing, Amazon has been an attractive platform for brands of all sizes, with many small brands having achieved growth since establishing their presence on it. Amazon offers more than 100 million products in a wide range of categories and the availability of Prime membership and Fulfillment by Amazon services has enabled sellers to deliver their products speedily and efficiently.

This article first appeared in issue 42 of the Inside Small Business quarterly magazine

The post The platforms helping Aussies buy from small, local brands appeared first on Inside Small Business.

To help you make some of those choices, here are five things you need to un-know about small-business websites to help your journey a little bit easier.

1. Aesthetics is all that matters

While having a really pretty, modern website is important, aesthetics and design won’t guarantee succes, The goal of your website is to deliver your business leads (or in the context of eCommerce businesses, sales). And rarely will aesthetics be all that matters. In fact, a website that looks great but is confusing or doesn’t have a clear call-to-action is going to cost you money.

2. I can’t afford a good website

Websites and the cost of them are a really controversial topic. Nowadays websites can range from DIY builders that cost $30/month all the way through to custom-built projects in the order of $30,000. So it’s often the case that small businesses assume “good” or “great” has to be at the higher price point. Which is not the case. Price of websites has more to do with the technology behind their creation and less to do with strategy nowadays. And strategy can cost next to nothing. So don’t go into a website project with the idea that you cant achieve a great outcome with your budget. Focus on the goals you want to achieve and the strategy to get you there. 

3. I have to stand out from my competitors

Controversial but your websites purpose is not to be unique or clever in order to stand out from competitors. Most businesses do a terrible job on their website structure and copy because they are trying to be unique rather than be clear in their message. Focus on connecting with your website visitors around their problems, and take the time to clearly identify how you solve them. Customers will aways value the businesses that they feel understands them best and helps them solve it the quickest, over one that is clever or witty. 

4. If they’re interested, they’ll contact me

Your customers are busy. They need to be told exactly what to do next if they are interested in your products and services before they get bored/confused/busy and completely forget. 

So ensure your website states very clearly what they need to do next. Is it buy now? Enquire now? Send us a message? Repeat it over and over and make it really easy for them to do so. Don’t overestimate the motivation of your customers, you have to really ask for that sale.  

5. I have to keep it fresh 

Interestingly this is an idea that has been around for a while that I believe has to be explained further. When there is emphasis put on keeping your website up to date, maintained and fresh, it is usually assuming you are either using SEO as a technique to market your website or that you have a lot of repeat customers and you need to keep the content fresh for each visit. In actuality, most small businesses just need to ensure their website is the absolute best representation of who they are and what they can offer and trying too hard to keep it “fresh” can dilute any important messages for first time visitors. 

Whilst there are many more, these ones are important ones to un-learn so that you can tackle your business website with an open mind to what is possible. 

The post Five things you need to un-know about small-business websites appeared first on Inside Small Business.

Here are eight things every small-business website needs. Of course, there will be exceptions, but this list should apply to the majority of you.

Let’s dive in.

1. SEO

Your website needs to be visible online, otherwise, all these other steps could be pointless. SEO = Search Engine Optimisation. It’s an umbrella term for things you can do to help a website get found on a search engine. In this case, I’m focusing on Google. Fundamentals include:

• Keyword research.
• Optimising each relevant website page (e.g. meta title, meta description, keyword density, URL structure, images, heading tags, etc).
• Fast website speed.
• Responsive design (e.g. looks great on desktop, mobile and tablet).
• Links (internal and external).
• Domain authority.
• High quality (and relevant) content.
• Submitting sitemap and syncing with Google Search Console.

There are many other things you’ll need to do, but that’s a good place to start.

2. Clarity

What do you do? And how do people get started? Ensure this is clear. People should get this information when the page loads. They shouldn’t have to go looking for it. Consider adding it to your homepage hero. And other prominent areas on your website. The hero is usually below the header. For example:

3. Call To Action (CTA)

Your website needs a CTA. What do you want people to do? Call? Send a message? Book an online appointment? Purchase a product? Join an email list? Figure this out, and make it clear. Then, ensure the CTA is in a prominent position (e.g. header and hero). And make the CTA a clickable button.

4. Easy navigation

Can people find what they need on your website? Can you? Ask your friends and family to give you honest feedback.

Look at your Google Analytics. Is every page on your website getting traffic? If not, maybe some of them are hard to find.

Every good website will have a menu in the header. It must include the most essential pages. And a mobile layout should have a “hamburger” drop-down toggle. Consider adding extra menu items to your footer, adding a search function in the header, and adding breadcrumbs to each page.

5. Optimise your service pages

Your website can rank for multiple services. This means people can find your service pages on Google. In other words, you don’t have to make your homepage rank for all your services.

I suggest picking a primary keyword for each service page. And a few other secondary keywords. Then optimise those pages. (e.g. do your keyword research, answer common questions and provide useful information. This could help you get more website traffic from potential customers/clients.

6. USPs (Unique Selling Points)

What makes you unique? What can you do better than your competitors? What do your happy customers/clients say about you?

Figure this out, and make it clear. Consider using images to clarify this (e.g. icons). You don’t have to be 100 per cent unique – most businesses aren’t – just put yourself in the shoes of a prospect.

What do they want? Think about simple things (e.g. personal touch, great online reviews, good communication, experience, etc).

7. Social proof

Social proof is the idea that consumers will adapt their behaviour according to what other people are doing. Do you have good online reviews? (e.g. five-star Google Reviews). Has someone with authority said something positive about your business? Have you won a business award? Has your business been featured on TV or a popular website? Demonstrate this on your website, avoiding plain text testimonials (e.g. from emails) – it’s important to verify where your reviews came from.

8. Essential pages

Most small businesses should have these pages:

• Home
• About and/or Team.
• Services
• Pricing/Fees/Costs
• Blog
• Contact.

Regarding price, you don’t need to list your prices. Well, some businesses might, but most won’t. It’s still worth having a pricing page – you’ll be addressing the “elephant in the room”, and avoiding the issue can make people think that you’re very expensive.

What can you say about your prices? Do you offer a free quote or consultation? How can people learn how much your fees are? Do you consider your business to be expensive? Are there any “hidden fees” or “travel costs”? Try and address the issue.

On the other hand, if you’re happy to list your prices, and you think it will help, go for it, as there’s something powerful about addressing costs. It’s often the biggest cause of anxiety, fear and resistance. Once this is overcome, your website users are more inclined to become clients.

The post Eight things every small-business website needs appeared first on Inside Small Business.

In response, a Government report has proposed new cyber security rules that could see businesses face minimum requirements and tougher standards when handling personal information. Being aware of the risks and understanding how to deal with a cyber-attack is critical as a small-business owner. GoDaddy research of Australian small businesses in June found that only 15 per cent of respondents said they would know how to deal with a cyber-attack. So it’s imperative to understand the risks, the warning signs and how to protect your website and business.

Why are cyber security protections so important?

While GoDaddy research found that 76 per cent of respondents understand there is a real risk to small businesses, 15 per cent wouldn’t know how to deal with an attack, and 22 per cent had already experienced one. Being aware of the risks is one of the first steps to protection. No website is immune to cyber-attacks. Even a small-business website holds data such as customer addresses, passwords and credit card details that are considered sensitive. Attacks are automated and do not discriminate, and can cause serious financial and reputational damage. While it may sound daunting, there are straightforward ways to spot the warning signs and add protections to your website.

What are the warning signs?

There are numerous forms of cyber attack, from phishing and malware to ransomware and DDoS (Distributed Denial-of-Service). These types of malicious software are used by hackers to access your website and any personal details it contains. There are a few common signs of an attack. For example, if your website is suddenly offline without reason or warning or your email address is sending unsolicited emails. It’s not possible to 100% guarantee your website’s security, but there are ways you can help protect it with monitoring services that identify attacks and start immediate fixes as they are happening.

How can you protect your small-business website?

66 per cent of Australian small business respondents haven’t bought security protection for their websites, according to our research. If you’re one of them, there are a variety of tools to help protect your website and customer data. A firewall can help prevent malware and DDoS attacks. Malware scanning and remediation can help to get your website back up and running if there is a problem. Meanwhile, a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Certificate helps to encrypt the transmission of business and customer data and can be identified with a padlock in the URL so customers can see if your website has protection. Products like GoDaddy Website Security offer a host of services to help protect your website and boost your customers’ trust in your business.

In addition, there are various basic forms of housekeeping you can adopt. For example, use strong passwords containing a series of letters, numbers and symbols, regularly update them and never share them with anyone. And when there are system updates available for your website, computer and mobile device, install them immediately, as they often include the latest security updates.

Just like you wouldn’t dream of leaving your store or office unlocked overnight, today it’s imperative to add protections to your website. By being aware of the risks, understanding the warning signs and implementing a series of protections, you can help protect your website and the people using it.

The post Three key cyber security questions every small-business owner must ask appeared first on Inside Small Business.

Why small business websites succeed or fail

What any new customer visiting your website sees on the home page is what they understand about your business.

Customers often ask me why some websites succeed and some fail.

There are no straightforward rules, but I will highlight some key points that apply whether you are building a website or wanting to redesign your existing website.

Different businesses have different needs, but if you follow these principles, your website will have more chance of becoming successful.

Website visitors are busy people

Many times, I find that important information about your products or services is hidden deep inside the website. As a business owner, you may be interested in giving your customers all available information, but remember that customers are as busy as you are and no one has time to go through all the information.

What your customers are interested in knowing is how your products or services are useful to them and what is the cost of acquiring those products or services.

Rule 1: Customers will be happy to read things on your website that help them make a decision

Top 5 benefits

Every business has a unique selling proposition (USP). Be proud to mention your USP on your website home page. Customers like to quickly know what you are good at.

We call this rule of Top 5 – the Top 5 best things about your product or service.

RULE 2: Have your Top 5 benefits on the home or landing page

Home page: a teaser

Your home page is the gateway to your website – this essentially tells people everything about you in a nutshell. The home page should touch upon all aspects of your business that matter to customers, such as ample CTA, references, specials, product highlights, team, projects/clients, at least one blog link and contact information.

So for a lawyer’s website home page, I would have a glimpse of his cases, references, areas he serves, specials if any, practice specialities.

What any new customer visiting your website sees on the home page is what they understand about your business. Customers will seldom go deeper into the website if they cannot see any mention of things or information that matter to them.

RULE 3: The home page is a teaser for customers to find out more about your business by going through the entire website

Clean design

Who likes a cluttered workspace or home?

Time and again, I have seen websites full of content – in fact there is so much content spread throughout the website that customers can get lost in that quagmire, and they often do.

Clean design does not only mean great graphics, but it means bullet points and some description of your offers and products/services. Remember, the first impression is the last impression – this holds true in the virtual world as well.

Rule 4: A one-page website can be more effective than a cluttered website with 50 web pages

Content before website

Customers often approach me with a requirement to build a website or redesign an existing one. They share the designs or theme they like, and ask me if this theme can be used.

A word of caution– try to define your keywords first, then define your content and then decide which theme will be most effective in placing that content onto different content blocks on the website.

Keywords drive content, which in turn drives design.

Rule 5: Keywords first, then template/theme

To read the full article, please visit  www.openweb.com.au/select/small-business-websites-why-success/type

Openweb

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