Screen time is increasing and more and more people are shopping and finding businesses online. If you run a small business, and you’re not attracting attention online, now is the time to take action. In this informative guide, we’ll share some top tips to help you increase online sales in 2023. 

Design a fantastic website

The first task to cross off your list when embarking upon a mission to boost online sales is to ensure that you have a fantastic website. If you don’t have a business website or your site is dated or basic, hire a web design agency or look for a web application development company to elevate your site and add web applications. Your website should look attractive and inviting and it should also be functional.

Test different design ideas, get feedback from customers and trial demo versions to make sure that the site is slick and easy to use. Ensure that every element of your site is relevant to your brand identity and the target customer. 

Once you have the design and development basics pinned down, enhance your website with additional features, optimised content, images and video clips, a blog and useful pages and sections that offer customers more information, such as an about us page and an FAQ section. Include up-to-date contact information and add a clear, engaging call to action to every page. 

When you’re revamping your website, it’s essential to prioritise user experience. This term covers multiple bases, including simple, quick and convenient ordering and payment processes, access to customer service and support and features and extras that make browsing fun and enjoyable. 

Get your business noticed

Creating an outstanding website is the first part of the plan to generate leads and attract customers. The next job is to get your business noticed online. There is no point in having a spectacular website if nobody can find it. There are several ways to draw attention to your website and drive traffic, including social media and email marketing, paid ads and SEO (search engine optimisation). 

Social media is an incredible platform for businesses of all sizes. You can use social apps and platforms to advertise and promote products and services, but it also provides amazing opportunities to engage with prospective customers and tell people about your brand.

You can use different types of content, including reels, stories, images and videos, to communicate with your followers, get to know them and increase sales. Take advantage of chances to interact with your customers and gather feedback, ideas and suggestions.

Tell your brand story and drum up interest by linking to your website and running promotions. Hosting a social media giveaway is an excellent tactic if you’re trying to build a following rapidly. Choose a prize, issue instructions and generate hype around the competition. Encourage followers to spread the word far and wide by tagging friends, sharing your posts and adding hashtags. Another way to create a buzz around your brand on social media is to link up with influencers or other businesses.

Email marketing is designed to encourage prospective customers to act when they receive a message in their inbox. To make email marketing work for you, ensure that subject lines and titles are interesting and intriguing, vary content types, add a call to action and personalise your messages. You can use emails for a wide range of purposes, including advertising new products, sharing news and updates, providing information about corporate social responsibility, featuring real-life customers and their stories and encouraging customers to snap up offers and time-limited deals. 

Paid ads target customers who are searching for specific items or types of products and services via search engines and social media apps. If you enter a search term into Google, for example, you’ll probably find that a host of adverts pop up on the page.

If you click on an advert, you can visit a store page, find contact details or add an item to your basket in a matter of seconds. Paid ads can be incredibly effective if you’re hoping to create more leads, optimise ROI and generate more online traffic. If you don’t have expertise in this area of marketing and you don’t have an in-house marketing team, it’s wise to work with a digital marketing agency. 

SEO has the potential to send sales soaring but success is never guaranteed. The primary aim is to get to the top of page 1 when a web user searches for a product or service that is relevant to your brand. Creating and sharing optimised content can help you to improve your search ranking and enhance your online presence.

Many people are aware of the importance of keywords when implementing SEO strategies but SEO is much more complex than creating blogs or social media posts that contain specific words or terms. If you don’t have marketing experts on your team, it’s beneficial to consider hiring a digital marketing agency or working with freelancers. 

Offer the best deals

Competition for customers is fierce. To attract customers and ensure that they move through the sales funnel, you have to persuade them that your business is the best option. Offering the best deal is an effective way to achieve this goal.

Offering competitive prices is important but it’s more beneficial to focus on value for money. Try to add more for your customers. Set your business apart by adding perks or enhancing value for money. If you sell gifts, for example, you could add free gift wrapping or the option to pay a little more to personalise the item. 

Boost your review score

More than 90% of consumers read reviews before buying a product or contacting a business. Positive reviews attract attention from customers and they help to build an excellent reputation. Try to be proactive in boosting your review score. Encourage customers to leave feedback, take suggestions and ideas on board and address negative comments or pain points promptly. Share reviews on your website and social media.

Enhancing your online presence can help you to raise brand awareness, connect with new audiences and boost sales. If you run a small business, there are lots of ways to increase sales by promoting your company online. Start with designing and developing a fantastic website and enhance user experience with features, apps and extras.

Get your business noticed by using digital marketing techniques that will reach your ideal customer and try to ensure that your brand offers the best deals. Encourage customers to leave reviews, share feedback and aim for 5-star reviews every time.