In our previous blog post, the Burbank asset-based loan specialists at The Commercial Finance Group discussed important tips for starting a small business. We’ll continue on that topic today, with even more ways to get started on the right foot and boost for business now and in the coming years!

Handle your money responsibly.

This might be the most obvious advice we could give you—but it’s not as simple as saving more than you spend. For many first-time business owners, mixing personal and business finances often leads to confusion—especially around tax time—and can make it much more difficult to manages business cash flow on a day-to-day basis. There’s an easy solution here—just open up a free business checking account at your local bank, and run all of your business purchases and deposits through that bank account. You’ll most likely need to bring your filing paperwork and/or licensing information, as well as some sort of deposit to get started. Once tax time comes around, you’ll rest easy and avoid having to sift through your personal bank statements to get the info you need, and you’ll always have a clear picture of your business finances.

Build the perfect website.

It doesn’t matter if you have the perfect business idea or the best customer service—if people don’t know that your business exists, you’re not going to be successful. While old timers might buy billboard space or a TV commercial spot, most eyes are on the internet at this point—and those eyes are looking for a sleek website that provides them with the info, services, or products they’re looking for.

It doesn’t matter if you’re exclusively ecommerce or have a brick and mortar store—your business needs a website, period. A good website highlights what your business is all about, provides a way for customers to reach out to you, and ultimately entices shoppers to buy your products or hire you for your services. However, a bad website can have the opposite effect, scaring people away from your business.

So what separates the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to business websites?

All great websites have the following three traits:

Beautiful

Great websites have beautiful designs, which is more important than you might think when it comes to business success. A website that looks modern, organized, and eye-catching could be just what you need to engage with customers, and provide them with a positive first impression when they log onto your site.

Think of it this way: You’re looking for a plumber to do some work on your house, and when you do a Google search, you come across two local plumbing websites. Their services are the same, their prices are the same, and they have the same amount of experience in the world of plumbing. They even have similarly impressive customer reviews. At this point, how do you choose with the companies being so similar? You’re probably going to choose the plumber with the better-looking website.

A beautiful website could be the final piece to separate your business from the competition, and give potential customers a positive perception of your business the moment they log onto your site. Put a little effort into your business website so it helps your business instead of hurting it.

Simple

Beauty and simplicity often go together—especially when it comes to websites. But simplicity has more of a practical purpose in the website world as well. Your website should be simple to navigate and use—your customers should have no issue finding the information they need, getting in contact with your business, or purchasing your products. If any of these tasks prove themselves difficult on your website, your potential customers could become frustrated and switch over to the websites of your competitors. Not exactly the recipe for business success.

Keeping your website’s layout simple and having organized menus are great steps to improve the simplicity and functionality of your website. If your potential customers have an easy time navigating your website, they’ll assume doing business with you will be just as easy.

Actionable

Ultimately, the idea behind a business website is to turn web goers into business leads—to encourage those who visit your website to take action by purchasing your products or enquiring further about your services. Your website should be designed in a way that makes it easy for potential customers to take action—whether it’s to put a product in their shopping cart, to schedule an appointment, or to request an estimate.

Make it easy for people to take the next step with your business by using a call-to-action that compels them to take action. For example, “request more info” or “schedule a free consultation” are great action-based phrases that will encourage those who visit your site to get the ball rolling. Make these CTAs loud and proud on your site so people always know what the next step is after they’ve decided you’re the right business for them.

A Final Word on Websites

Ultimately, your website is your greatest marketing tool and a necessary asset for your business. It’s worth investing in your website, and it’s definitely worth driving traffic to your website. The more visitors you get, the more potential business leads you’ll have, so be aggressive when it comes to investing in digital marketing, and spend a little to refresh your website every few years so you’re always ahead of the competition.

That’s it for Part 2 of The Complete Guide to Starting a Small Business. Check out Part 1 of the series, and stay tuned for Part 3 coming soon!