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Forbes
15-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
What You Need To Know To Build A Great Small Business Website
By Richard D. Harroch and Dominique A. Harroch Creating and having a website for your small business is not just a luxury; it is a necessity. A website serves as your online storefront, providing customers with the information they need to know about your products or services, and offering a platform to interact with your brand. Whether you're looking to attract new customers, showcase your portfolio, or offer e-commerce capabilities, a well-designed website is essential for growing your business and establishing your legitimacy. Most modern businesses cannot survive without this digital presence. However, building a great small business website can be an intimidating task, especially for those without a background in web development or design. Fortunately, with the right approach and a clear understanding of your goals, anyone can create a professional and user-friendly website. In this article, with research assistance and insights from AI, we'll break down key tips on how to build a website that effectively represents your business and serves your customers' needs. Before you start designing, it's essential to define the purpose or purposes of your website. Are you looking to generate leads, sell products, showcase a portfolio, or provide information? Knowing the purpose of your site will guide your decisions on layout, content, and functionality. For example, an e-commerce website will require shopping cart features and secure payment gateways, while a portfolio site will focus more on high-quality images and testimonials. Key Insight: Your domain name is the first thing people will see when visiting your website, so make sure it's easy to remember and relevant to your business. Ideally, it should be short, simple, and reflect your business name or primary product. Avoid using complicated words or symbols that could confuse your potential customers. You can register your domain through providers like GoDaddy, Namecheap, or Google Domains, and it's ideal to choose a domain that ends in .com, as this is the most common and trusted extension. Key Insight: A clean, simple design ensures that visitors can navigate your site easily without feeling overwhelmed. Avoid clutter and focus on creating a layout that highlights your key information, such as products, services, or contact details. Use a well-organized structure with clear navigation, so visitors can find what they're looking for without frustration. A user-friendly website is essential for encouraging visitors to stay on your site and explore your offerings. Key Insight: With more people browsing the web on smartphones and tablets, having a mobile-friendly website is no longer optional. A responsive design adjusts automatically to different screen sizes, ensuring that your website looks great and functions well on any device. Google also ranks mobile-friendly websites higher in search results, so this is an important factor for both user experience and SEO. Key Insight: A slow website can be a major turn-off for potential customers, with research showing that many visitors will abandon a page if it doesn't load within a few seconds. To improve load times, compress images, minimize heavy scripts, and optimize your website's code. Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights can help identify areas that need improvement and suggest ways to speed up your website. Key Insight: Search engine optimization (SEO) helps your website rank higher on search engines like Google, making it easier for customers to find your business. Start by researching keywords that are relevant to your business and integrate them naturally into your website's content. Optimizing your website structure, using descriptive meta tags, and adding alt text for images can also boost your SEO performance. Key Insight: Your website should encourage visitors to take action, whether it's making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or contacting you for more information. Calls to action (CTAs) are buttons or links that guide users toward the next step. Make your CTAs clear, concise, and strategically placed on the page, such as at the end of a service description or on your homepage. Key Insight: One of the primary reasons people visit small business websites is to learn about your business and offerings. Make sure your products or services are easy to find and understand. Include high-quality images, clear descriptions, and any important details such as pricing, features, and benefits. For e-commerce websites, ensure that the checkout process is simple and secure to encourage purchases. Key Insight: Social proof, such as testimonials, customer reviews, or media mentions, can help build trust with potential customers. Including quotes from satisfied clients, case studies, or any awards you've received can show that others have had positive experiences with your business. This helps humanize your brand and gives new customers more confidence in your offerings. Key Insight: Visitors should have no trouble reaching out to you if they have questions, want more information, or are ready to make a purchase. Display your contact information prominently on every page, ideally in the header or footer. Key Insight: When working with a web designer, it's important to communicate your vision clearly. Draw out the structure of your desired website, including the main sections and the content you want to display. Share ideas on the look and feel of the website, such as preferred colors, fonts, and overall design style. Providing examples of other websites you like can help your designer understand your preferences. Key Insight: If you prefer to build your website on your own, several user-friendly website builders can make the process much easier. Platforms like Wix, Squarespace, WordPress, and Shopify provide templates and drag-and-drop features that simplify the design process. These tools often come with templates, pre-built sections, widgets, and integrations, allowing you to create a professional-looking website without any coding skills. Key Insight: Additional Tip: It is important to note that you will have to optimize your website separately for the desktop, tablet, and phone. Your designer or programmer can help you do that with easy adjustments. Building a great small business website is crucial for attracting customers, growing your brand, and staying competitive in today's digital world. By focusing on key elements like clear goals, mobile optimization, SEO, and user-friendly design, you can create a website that not only looks professional but also functions well for your target audience. Integrating trust-building elements, a simple layout, and easy-to-find contact information will make it easier for potential customers to engage with your business. Your website is often the first point of contact between you and your customers, so it's essential to make a positive impression. With these key tips, you can build a site that reflects your business values, promotes your products or services effectively, and provides a great user experience. By following these best practices, your small business website will be set up for success, helping you to grow and thrive in a competitive marketplace. Related Articles: Copyright (c) by Richard D. Harroch. All Rights Reserved.
Forbes
12-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
10 Tips To Improve Your Resume According To AI
By Richard D. Harroch and Dominique A. Harroch A well-crafted resume is one of the most important tools for landing a job. It serves as your introduction to potential employers and provides a snapshot of your skills, experience, and achievements. Standing out among hundreds or even thousands of applicants requires a resume that not only showcases your qualifications but also highlights your ability to adapt to modern tools and technologies. One way to ensure that your resume stands out is by leveraging the power of AI—both in how you craft your resume and how you use AI to enhance your skills. AI can help you tailor your resume to specific job descriptions, improve readability, and optimize it for applicant tracking systems (ATS) that employers use to filter applications. By integrating AI-powered strategies into your resume-building process, you can enhance its impact and increase your chances of being noticed by recruiters. This article, with research assistance and insights from AI, will explore 10 key ways to improve your resume. We'll include sample language you can use, and we'll highlight the importance of showcasing your experience with AI tools and technologies. Whether you're revising your resume or starting from scratch, these tips will help you present yourself in the best possible light. The Tip: One of the most important things you can do to improve your resume is to tailor it for each specific job you're applying to. Generic resumes often get overlooked, so customizing your resume to match the job description ensures you highlight the most relevant skills and experience. Using keywords from the job listing will also help your resume. Bonus Insight: LinkedIn offers an AI feature that lets you easily compare your resume to a job posting, highlighting how well your skills and experience align. This can guide you in identifying key qualifications and areas for improvement. Sample Language for Your Resume: "Aligned marketing campaigns with business objectives to drive a 25% increase in customer acquisition in the first quarter, as detailed in the job listing for [Company]." Key Insights: The Tip: Employers want to know what you've accomplished, not just what you were responsible for. Instead of simply listing your duties, focus on the impact you made in previous roles. Quantify your achievements whenever possible—metrics like sales increases, project completion times, or efficiency improvements provide concrete evidence of your abilities. Sample Language for Your Resume: "Led a team of 10 in a project that reduced operational costs by 15% while improving customer satisfaction scores by 35%." Key Insights: The Tip: If you're transitioning into a new field or industry, highlight the transferable skills you bring with you. Many of the skills you've developed in previous roles—whether it's leadership, project management, communication, or problem-solving—are valuable in almost any field. Emphasizing these skills shows potential employers that you have the foundation needed to succeed, even if you lack direct experience in the industry. Sample Language for Your Resume: "Utilized strong project management and leadership skills to coordinate a cross-functional team, ensuring timely and successful project completion despite tight deadlines." Key Insights: The Tip: AI is becoming an essential tool across industries, and demonstrating your familiarity with AI can set you apart from other candidates. Whether you've used AI in drafting content, project management, data analysis, marketing automation, or customer service, be sure to mention it. This will show potential employers that you are proactive in adopting new technologies that can improve efficiency and performance. Sample Language for Your Resume: "Utilized ChatGPT and Claude AI to develop key marketing and promotional content." Key Insights: The Tip: A resume's format should be easy to read and visually appealing. Use clear section headings, bullet points, and consistent fonts to ensure your resume is organized and professional. Avoid overloading the document with too many graphics or unnecessary details, which can distract from the key information. Key Insights: The Tip: Incorporating relevant certifications, degrees, and professional development courses into your resume can help demonstrate your commitment to continuous learning and your qualifications for the role. Whether it's an MBA, a certification in digital marketing, or a technical course, employers appreciate candidates who invest in their own professional growth. Sample Language for Your Resume: "Certified Project Management Professional (PMP) – Project Management Institute, 2024." Key Insights: The Tip: Your resume should be concise and to the point, typically no longer than one or two pages. Hiring managers often skim through resumes, so it's important to prioritize the most relevant information. Focus on showcasing your best qualifications and experience, omitting less significant roles or skills that don't contribute to your candidacy. Sample Language for Your Resume: Rather than listing every job you've had, focus on your most impactful roles: "Senior Marketing Specialist – ABC Corp (2018–2021). Led marketing campaigns that increased brand visibility and revenue by 25%." Key Insights: The Tip: Many companies use ATS to screen resumes, and these systems often look for specific keywords related to the job description. To increase the chances of your resume passing through these systems, make sure to use keywords from the job posting. AI-based tools like Jobscan can help optimize your resume for ATS. Sample Language for Your Resume: If the job description mentions "data analysis," be sure to use this phrase in your resume if applicable. "Proficient in data analysis, including collecting, interpreting, and presenting data-driven insights." Key Insights: The Tip: Including a short, compelling summary or objective at the top of your resume can help employers quickly understand your background, expertise, and what you bring to the table. This brief section should highlight your most relevant skills and experience and should align with the job you're applying for. Sample Language for Your Resume: "Dynamic and results-oriented marketing professional with over 10 years of experience in content creation and digital marketing campaigns. Expertise in leveraging data-driven strategies to drive brand growth and engagement." Key Insights: The Tip: ChatGPT can be a helpful tool in reviewing and improving your resume. By running your resume through the AI, you can ask for specific feedback and suggestions on how to improve it. ChatGPT can offer insights into areas where your resume might be lacking, such as keyword optimization, phrasing, or overall structure. Sample Language for ChatGPT: After running your resume through ChatGPT, ask for specific improvements like: "ChatGPT, could you help me optimize this resume for applicant tracking systems and suggest improvements in phrasing for my job experiences?" Key Insights: Crafting an effective resume is a critical step in landing a job, and applying these 10 tips can make all the difference in helping you stand out from the crowd. By tailoring your resume to the specific job, showcasing achievements over responsibilities, and focusing on key skills, you can create a document that not only highlights your qualifications but also demonstrates your potential value to employers. Using AI-driven insights, such as optimizing for ATS or showing your familiarity with AI, can further improve your chances of being noticed. Remember that your resume is often the first impression you make on a potential employer. By applying these strategies, you can present yourself as a qualified, proactive, and forward-thinking candidate. Make sure to keep your resume updated, reflecting your latest achievements and growth, and be confident that your well-crafted resume will help you take the next step in your career. Related Articles: Copyright (c) by Richard D. Harroch. All Rights Reserved.
