It can be difficult to remain positive and optimistic during times of economic hardship. However, the truth is that there are steps you can take to ensure that your business remains afloat during a recession. One way to do this is by making website updates that will encourage growth and boost sales even in uncertain economic times. The West Tampa Chamber of Commerce has put together some tips on how to do just that; let's take a look.

Make the Site More Accessible

Having an accessible website makes it easy for customers to find what they need quickly and efficiently. Making sure that the website is easy to navigate and understand will help keep customers coming back. Additionally, adding features such as buttons for customer support or directions on how to complete certain tasks can also help ensure that customers don't get lost or frustrated when navigating your site.

Add an Eye-Catching Call to Action

Adding a strong call-to-action button on each page of your site will encourage customers to take action after browsing around your site. This could include tasks like signing up for a newsletter, downloading an ebook, or setting up an appointment with you. Whatever action you want customers to take, make sure it's visible and clear so they know exactly what they should do next when visiting your site.

Incorporate Video Content

Including videos on your website can be a great way to engage with customers while giving them helpful information about the products or services that you offer. Videos can also help build trust between you and potential customers by allowing them to get an inside look at how you operate as a business. You can even consider adding videos of customer testimonials, which will help secure sales from new visitors.

Use the Right SEO Tools

Using search engine optimization (SEO) tools can increase both visibility and traffic significantly over time. These tools allow you to optimize individual pages so that search engines like Google can better index them for relevant keywords, thus increasing their ranking in search results pages. This leads more people directly to your website rather than having them stumble upon it randomly elsewhere online.

Update Your Blog

Having fresh content on your blog encourages visitors who have already been exposed to one post to come back again, increasing engagement with existing followers while potentially expanding reach toward new ones. It can be helpful not only to write new blog posts but also to update old ones occasionally, since changing algorithms often mean older posts might not be indexed properly anymore. Take a look at your blog content to make sure it's optimized for traffic.

Boost Page Speed

Page speed is one of the most important factors when it comes to user experience and keeping visitors engaged with what you have on offer. If pages don’t load fast enough, then potential clients may turn away before ever getting a chance to see what is being offered. Utilize caching technologies (like Cloudflare) and invest time into optimizing images and code used throughout each page to ensure they load quickly enough.

Utilize PDF Tools

PDFs are becoming increasingly popular lately because they offer many advantages, including accessibility and compatibility across platforms and browsers as well as protection against copyright infringement. They also give access to deeper security features, like encryption options and watermarking capabilities, which protect both businesses and their clients. If you often need to have forms filled out and signed, use a PDF filler to make the process quick and secure.

There are several things you can do right now in order to enhance your website during hard times and secure sales. From optimizing accessibility to offering security features through PDF tools, you can make smart moves that will protect your business even during hard times. Do some research on the best tools for your needs before committing to any, as this will help you save money.

The team at the West Tampa Chamber of Commerce can help you reach your small business goals! Ready to get in touch? Reach out today.