Many small businesses are yet to build a professional online presence.  For those who are already online, it's fair to say that some are successful but others have seen little or no return on their investment.  Once bitten, twice shy.

That doesn’t mean that online should be avoided. In fact, those that ignore the online space will be the ones that get left behind.

Most well-run small businesses can realise major increases in sales through their online activities. All it takes is a smart approach and the right tools.

So how can small business sell more online?

1.   Build a Foundation

The maxim that failing to plan is planning to fail is no less true online. Building a solid foundation for your small business website can be compared to building a property. Solid foundations must be built and an attractive property developed in the right location. That way, the value of your property is likely to increase.

Building solid foundations for your small business website means planning, adding valuable content and listing products, finding new buyers of your products, and also managing your existing customers in an efficient and effective way.

2.   Smart Marketing

Smart marketing means using the right tools to attract the right customers at the right time. Learning how to market your small business online can seem confusing, with an endless stream of buzzwords and methods like SEO, SEM, SMO, CPC, and CPA that need to be understood and applied.

Learning these concepts, however, can cost time and money. Much time can also be taken up in learning how to use advertising network applications. Using the right tools can save time, allowing you to focus on delivering your value to your customers.

3.   Be Credible and Trustworthy

Credibility and trust are major factors that affect the ability of a website to sell online. A small business website with no credibility will garner little trust and may not generate sales or leads. A similar small business website with high credibility will see very different results.

Does a visitor to your website feel it is is credible and trustworthy?

4.   Add value

For a small business, spending thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours for a cutting-edge website redesign may not be a wise move, especially if no targeted traffic is visiting the website. Of what value is a slick design if no-one sees it?

The key for a successful website is adding value for current and potential customers. Adding value is crucial if a small business is to compete against competitors and attract new customers.

How a small business will add value depend on what it sells and who it sells to. For example, a dentist may use his website as a tool to generate more bookings. He could add value by publishing content on dental health issues and use this content to gain trust and bookings. On the other hand, a small business that sells products may add value by publishing unbiased reviews of its products.

Adding value is about spending time on things that matter to your customers, not spending countless hours on designs or technical issues.   

5.  Deal with Competition

Dealing with competition is often an understated element of effective online marketing. Search engines can expose your small business to competitors.

Every small business should consider its competitors, its share of the market, how it can insulate itself against competitors, and what it can offer that competitors can’t.

Once these points have been understood, small businesses need to respond and develop strategies that monitor the market and take advantage of changes.

6.  Being Smart

Being successful in small business is about being smart. And that includes being smart about online. A little planning today will save you heartache in the future. 

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