30 Top Ways to Grow Your Business With a WordPress Website
As a small business owner operating in the WordPress space, you may encounter a mix of enjoyable, challenging, and frustrating experiences. Establishing a professional website is crucial in today’s digital landscape, where online shopping and digital marketing play vital roles in business growth. WordPress, being the most popular content management system (CMS), offers numerous advantages for small businesses aiming to establish their online presence. In this article, we will explore ten reasons why you should consider using WordPress for your small business website.
However, it’s important to acknowledge that the life of an entrepreneur can be a constant juggling act between business growth and maintaining personal well-being. The entrepreneurial journey presents ongoing challenges, which contribute to its exciting nature.
One of the significant challenges faced by WordPress professionals is kickstarting business growth. It is easy to become immersed in day-to-day operations and lose sight of long-term objectives. If you find your business stagnant or struggle to allocate time for growth, this post aims to provide helpful ideas.
Please let me know if you need further assistance or if there’s anything specific you would like to discuss.
Perform an Honest Self-Assessment
Whenever you feel like your business is stagnating, it serves as a clear sign that you should closely examine the situation. As the saying goes, “you can’t see the forest for the trees,” and this applies to running a small business as well. Taking a step back and gaining a bird’s-eye view of your business can provide valuable insights.
However, gaining a different perspective on your business is not always straightforward. Most entrepreneurs tend to be overly optimistic, which is often a necessary trait. The challenge arises when we need to objectively assess our own business. No matter how hard we try, we may struggle to be completely honest with ourselves. We may unintentionally portray things as better than they actually are, without even realizing it.
Therefore, it is important to learn how to analyze every aspect of your business objectively. Sometimes, seeking assistance from someone who understands the WordPress ecosystem and is also an entrepreneur can be a valuable idea. Having an external perspective can help you see things more clearly.
The more objective you become in your assessment, the easier it becomes to identify what changes are necessary to ignite growth.
Get Out of Your Own Way
One of the difficult aspects for many entrepreneurs is the ability to introspect and acknowledge when we ourselves are responsible for our challenges and issues. Being an entrepreneur and working with technology requires perseverance. This perseverance often works to our advantage, as it enables us to persist where others might give up. While other developers may abandon a difficult problem, entrepreneurs find solutions.
However, there are times when our perseverance becomes a hindrance. Refusing to admit the existence of a problem in our business is not perseverance; it is stubbornness. Successful entrepreneurs possess the quality of admitting their mistakes. They remain open to new ideas, experiment with different technologies and tools, and accept when change is necessary. Mastering the skill of getting out of our own way makes business growth significantly easier.
Create Systems & Delegate as Much as Possible
Running a successful WordPress business often entails wearing multiple hats, such as developer, designer, customer service representative, accountant, and salesperson, among others. It can be overwhelming for a single person to manage all these responsibilities.
If your WordPress business is feeling stagnant or if you’re struggling to break through a sticking point, it’s worth examining the roles you’re playing. Are you still trying to handle (or micromanage) every aspect of the business by yourself?
If you find yourself nodding in agreement, it’s time to stop—not the nodding, but the micromanagement.
The “I can do it myself” attitude is beneficial and necessary when initially launching your business. However, there comes a point where it no longer serves you well. Successful entrepreneurs understand the importance of prioritization and delegating tasks that others can perform equally well or even better.
It’s more advantageous to invest your time in tasks that contribute to business growth or that align with your strengths, while delegating the remaining tasks as soon as possible. This may involve hiring a part-time virtual assistant, a full-time contractor, or an employee.
One helpful approach to facilitate the delegation process is to create standard operating procedures (SOPs) for your business. Establish processes for onboarding new web design clients, setting up CRM and project management software, and other aspects of your operations.
Undeniably, delegation and relinquishing control can be challenging. However, if you aspire to grow your business, you must stop trying to do everything yourself.
Stop Performing Repetitive Tasks
If you’re not yet ready to hire a virtual assistant or your first employee, there are still steps you can take to free up your time as a WordPress developer. There are two key tasks that deserve your primary focus:
- Development-related or billable tasks: Your expertise lies in WordPress development, so it’s important to dedicate your time and energy to tasks directly related to development work that generates revenue for your business.
- Looking for new clients: As a business owner, actively seeking out new clients and expanding your customer base is crucial for growth. Allocating time for networking, marketing, and lead generation is essential.
Any other tasks that consume your time can detract from these core activities. This includes accounting, dealing with cold leads, customer service, and social media management. Fortunately, many of these tasks can be at least partially automated.
Implementing email auto-responders, utilizing marketing automation platforms like Infusionsoft, and leveraging services like Zapier can save you a significant amount of time. Even small repetitive tasks can accumulate over the course of a month. If you haven’t yet embraced automation in your WordPress business, it’s a great place to start—even before making your first hire.
By automating certain aspects of your workflow, you can streamline processes, reduce manual labor, and free up more time to focus on development and client acquisition.
Become a Great Business Owner
It’s not uncommon to stumble into entrepreneurship unintentionally. You may have started by taking on occasional freelance jobs while working a regular 9-5 job, and before you knew it, you made the leap to running a full-time business.
However, there is a significant distinction between being a great WordPress developer or a highly skilled designer and being a proficient business owner. Being skilled in coding or design does not automatically translate into being adept at managing a team or running a successful business. In fact, it’s possible to be an exceptional WordPress developer and still struggle with keeping your business afloat.
The key is to devote as much time to working on your business as you do to working in it. Set aside dedicated time every week to focus on growing as a business owner and taking actions that benefit your business’s long-term success. By investing in your business skills, expanding your knowledge, and implementing effective strategies, you significantly improve your chances of achieving sustained success.
Don’t Be Afraid of Change – Do Something Different
The number one thing you can do to jumpstart your business growth when you’re feeling stuck is to do something different than what you’re already doing. It’s easy to fall into a rut when you’re focused on client work and powering through a long to-do list. However, simply digging deeper into your current approach is rarely the solution. To break free from stagnation, you need to take action.
Identify one area in your business where you suspect a problem exists and make a change. The specific area will vary for each individual, but here are some examples:
- Seek help from a business coach or join a mastermind group. Having external support and accountability can provide valuable insights into your business’s strengths and weaknesses, both for the business itself and for you as an entrepreneur.
- Write down a list of all the tasks you perform in your business and explore ways to simplify or automate some of those tasks. Even saving a few minutes per day can add up to significant time savings over a month.
- Consider hiring someone on a part-time basis to handle non-mission-critical tasks. By delegating these responsibilities, you can free up more time to focus on billable hours or prospecting for new clients.
Sometimes, doing something new can involve pivoting your entire business. If you’ve been targeting a specific clientele and not seeing the expected progress, it may be time to consider a shift. For example, you might change your focus from custom website development for small businesses to a productized model for law firms.
Pivoting can also occur when you add a new service to your business and unexpectedly find traction in that area. As entrepreneurs, we should never be afraid to set aside what’s not working and double down our efforts on what is showing promise.
Successful businesses are often flexible, adapting to change and actively seeking opportunities to meet evolving demands.
Many Business Themes and Plugins
WordPress offers a wide array of plugins and themes developed by individual creators and third-party companies, catering to various purposes, including small business websites. These options range from free solutions to premium themes and plugins with advanced features.
The availability of these additional tools enhances the flexibility and versatility of WordPress as a content management system. With the right combination of WordPress theme and plugins, you can build virtually any type of website.
The choice of themes and plugins may vary depending on the nature of the business. For instance, plugins like WooCommerce are popular for creating online stores, while solutions like WPForms are ideal for building effective contact pages.
Certain plugins provide essential functionalities that are commonly used across many WordPress sites. We recommend installing a security plugin like Sucuri to enhance website protection, an SEO plugin like Yoast SEO to optimize search engine visibility, and a Google Analytics. plugin to track website traffic and performance.
These plugins, among others, contribute to improving the functionality, security, search engine optimization, and analytics capabilities of a WordPress website.
Simple Maintenance
Having a properly functioning website is crucial for maintaining the credibility of any company, especially small businesses. To ensure its smooth operation, scheduled maintenance is essential.
WordPress offers various plugins that can assist in carrying out important website maintenance tasks. Additionally, certain managed hosting plans, such as WordPress hosting from Hostinger, provide useful maintenance features like staging tools, automatic updates, and automatic backups.
WordPress also includes a maintenance mode feature, which can be utilized to inform users when significant changes are being made to the site. This helps prevent negative impressions from non-functional sites and minimizes security risks associated with malicious links.
By incorporating proper maintenance practices and utilizing the available tools and features in WordPress, small businesses can effectively manage and maintain their websites, ensuring optimal performance and user experience.
Huge Community
WordPress boasts a vast and vibrant user community, providing a platform for individuals to engage in discussions on various topics related to the CMS and share their experiences with one another. Online forums, in particular, serve as excellent resources for beginners to delve deeper into the world of WordPress.
These forums offer an invaluable opportunity for users to seek guidance, ask questions, and exchange knowledge. Whether it’s troubleshooting technical issues, exploring best practices, or discovering new tips and tricks, the WordPress community forums are an ideal space to connect with like-minded individuals and learn from their expertise.
In addition to forums, there are also WordPress-related blogs, websites, and social media groups that offer valuable insights, tutorials, and updates on the latest developments in the WordPress ecosystem. These resources further contribute to the knowledge-sharing culture surrounding WordPress, making it easier for beginners to gain a better understanding of the CMS and its functionalities.
Engaging with the WordPress user community not only fosters a sense of camaraderie but also provides opportunities for networking and collaboration. It’s a rich ecosystem that encourages continuous learning and growth, ensuring that users, regardless of their expertise level, have access to a wealth of information and support.
SEO-Friendly
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a highly effective method for generating organic traffic to websites, making it a suitable online marketing technique for small businesses. One of the advantages of using WordPress as a CMS is that it is inherently designed to be SEO-friendly. The platform offers built-in features such as taxonomies and custom post types that contribute to improving the searchability of websites.
To further enhance their chances of ranking higher in search engine results pages (SERPs), site owners can leverage SEO tools and plugins available for WordPress. These tools assist in optimizing content, improving meta tags, generating XML sitemaps, and enhancing overall website performance.
It is important to note that SEO is a long-term strategy that requires continuous effort and patience. Results may take time to materialize, but the benefits of improved search visibility can greatly impact a small business by attracting more website visitors and increasing conversion rates.
By utilizing WordPress’s inherent SEO features and leveraging SEO tools and plugins, small businesses can effectively optimize their websites for search engines and improve their online visibility.
If you have any specific questions about SEO or need recommendations for SEO tools or plugins for WordPress, feel free to ask.
Fast and Responsive
Ensuring fast-loading and responsive web pages is crucial for delivering a positive user experience. In the online marketplace, potential customers are more likely to leave a website if it loads slowly or does not function properly on their devices.
WordPress provides the capability to achieve satisfactory page load speeds with the right approach. There are several methods to speed up a WordPress website, including selecting a reliable hosting service that offers optimized server configurations and employing additional tools such as caching plugins. These plugins can help store and deliver pre-generated versions of web pages, reducing the time it takes to load them for subsequent visitors.
In addition to page load speed, responsiveness is equally important for a successful business website. Thankfully, most WordPress themes are designed to be mobile responsive, meaning they adapt to different screen sizes and devices, providing an optimal user experience. This adaptability ensures that the website is accessible and functional for users accessing it from various devices, including smartphones and tablets.
By prioritizing page load speed and responsiveness, small businesses using WordPress can enhance user satisfaction, reduce bounce rates, and increase the likelihood of converting visitors into customers.
Why You Should Choose WordPress For Your Business Website
Custom Themes
If you’re new to website building, platforms like WordPress may initially seem intimidating. However, there’s no need to worry. WordPress offers millions of customizable themes to help you get started. To find themes tailored to your industry, you can search on platforms like ThemeForest.
SEO Friendly
One of the significant advantages of using WordPress compared to other similar platforms is its strong focus on Search Engine Optimization (SEO). WordPress provides numerous plugins that can be easily utilized by non-technical business owners to optimize their websites for search engines. Later, we will explore some specific plugins and tactics in more detail.
Mobile Responsiveness
Consider this statistic: in 2018, over 40% of web traffic originated from mobile devices, and this number is projected to continue rising. If your website is not yet mobile responsive, it’s crucial to upgrade it. To check your website’s mobile responsiveness, you can use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test.
Tip: Ensure your website is optimized for mobile devices to provide a seamless experience to your visitors regardless of the device they use.
Plugins, plugins, and more plugins
WordPress boasts an extensive library of over 54,000 plugins, with this number continually increasing. These plugins can assist you in managing email lists, designing contact forms, submitting sitemaps to search engines like Google, and much more. As we delve deeper into growth strategies, you’ll discover how plugins can contribute to expanding your business.
Publish from anywhere
No access to your computer? No problem. WordPress offers a suite of mobile apps that enable you to upload blog posts or publish pages directly from your phone. This convenient feature allows you to manage your website on the go, making it easy to stay connected and update your content whenever necessary.
It’s free
Yes, you read that correctly. The WordPress software itself is free to use. You only need to pay for hosting services and, potentially, a premium theme if you choose to use one. This cost-effective approach makes WordPress an attractive option for businesses looking to establish an online presence without breaking the bank.
Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s delve into more specific and actionable growth strategies for your WordPress website.
Build your blog
Having a blog on your WordPress website can greatly contribute to your business’s growth. Blogs are effective for search engine optimization (SEO) as they help potential customers find your website and improve your search engine rankings. To create a successful blog, develop a blogging strategy and calendar. Determine your target audience and the topics they search for. By consistently publishing high-quality blog posts, you can attract more visitors to your website over time and establish your brand as a trusted resource.
Tease your best content
Apply the 80/20 rule to your blog content. Identify the blog posts that generate the majority of your traffic and engagement. Once you have standout content, consider gating it behind an email subscription. Requiring users to provide their email address to access valuable content can help grow your email subscriber list, allowing you to nurture leads and build a relationship with potential customers.
Test multiple contact forms
Using a plugin like Contact Form 7, create different contact forms to collect information from potential customers. Conduct A/B testing by comparing a contact form with minimal information required to a more detailed form. Monitor the results and choose the form that best suits your business’s needs. Keep in mind that while minimal forms may attract more leads, they may be less qualified.
Run a giveaway
Running a giveaway is an effective way to grow your social media following and engage with your audience. Utilize tools like KingSumo, which simplifies the process of setting up giveaways. Choose a prize that appeals to your target audience and set a required action for entry, such as subscribing to your mailing list or following your social media accounts. Launch the contest using the KingSumo WordPress plugin and track entries conveniently.
Build custom landing pages
WordPress allows you to create custom landing pages without needing extensive development skills. By using built-in features and plugins, you can quickly design landing pages to test campaigns, drive targeted traffic, and optimize conversions. This flexibility empowers you to tailor your offerings to specific audiences and maximize the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.
Monitor your analytics:
Integrate Google Analytics into your WordPress website using the MonsterInsights plugin. With this integration, you can easily track and analyze your site visitors’ behavior, gain insights into their preferences, and make data-driven decisions to optimize your website’s performance. No technical expertise is required to set up the plugin and start monitoring your website’s analytics.
Speed up your website
Optimize your website’s page load speed to provide a better user experience and improve your search engine rankings. WP Smush is a plugin that helps optimize your site’s images, reducing their file sizes without compromising quality. By reducing the load time of your web pages, you can retain more visitors and enhance your site’s overall performance.
Redirect your traffic
When migrating your website from another platform to WordPress, you may encounter dead links or 404 errors. These errors negatively impact SEO and user experience. Using a plugin like Redirection, you can redirect those lost pages to relevant sections of your website, ensuring that visitors find what they’re looking for and that your traffic remains within your website.
Sell your products
If you’re looking to expand your business and sell products online, WooCommerce is a powerful eCommerce plugin for WordPress. With WooCommerce, you can set up and manage your online store, sell digital or physical goods, offer affiliate products, and handle shipping logistics. It provides a comprehensive solution for managing your eCommerce business, making it easier to sell your products and grow your revenue.
Streamline Appointment Booking
Instead of relying solely on contact forms, leverage the power of WordPress to enhance your business growth. Integrate a scheduler plugin like BirchPress Scheduler to enable visitors to book appointments directly on your website. By eliminating back-and-forth emails, this tool allows potential customers to check your availability, make reservations, and syncs with your calendar, ensuring you never miss a meeting. Stay informed with email notifications that keep you in the loop.
Develop an Online Course
Expand your influence and boost your revenue by creating online courses. Identify the most frequently asked questions from your customers and convert them into comprehensive course material. Utilize tools like Zippy Courses, which facilitate quick course creation. You can offer different pricing tiers and provide premium content to cater to various needs. Grant immediate access or schedule content release over time to keep students engaged. Customize the course to align with your desired aesthetics.
Showcase Your Portfolio
Capture potential customers’ interest by displaying your past work through a custom portfolio on WordPress. Create a dedicated page featuring your previous projects, case studies, and notable results. Ensure the layout is easily digestible and includes a prominent contact button, enabling visitors to reach out for more information.
Enable Online Payments
Minimize customer service costs and streamline the payment process by designing a low-touch offering on your WordPress site. Seamlessly integrate with major payment processors such as PayPal and Stripe, allowing customers to make payments or subscriptions directly through your website. By eliminating the need for direct contact, this approach saves time and enhances the user experience.
Cultivate an Email List
Leverage the power of email marketing to accelerate business growth. WordPress offers simple solutions for growing your email list. Consider using plugins from major email service providers, such as MailChimp, which enable you to insert a shortcode on your website, allowing visitors to subscribe with a single click. Strategically place the signup form within articles and at the end of your content to capture the attention of engaged readers.
Implement Effective Pop-ups
Deploy pop-up forms intelligently to drive business growth. While they can be divisive, properly executed pop-ups can be highly effective. Utilize plugins like the Popup addon for Ninja Forms to create attractive and engaging pop-ups. Trigger them based on specific actions or when visitors reach certain pages. Use pop-ups to entice leads, gather email subscribers, or guide users towards desired actions.
Leverage WordPress plugins to boost your social media following and increase social shares, ultimately expanding your brand’s reach. Explore tools like Easy Social Share Buttons, a popular plugin with a wide range of customization options. With over 50 templates available, you can select the button design that best aligns with your website’s aesthetics.
Utilize a Smart Bar
Prioritize growing your email list by incorporating a “smart bar” into your WordPress website. A smart bar is a static bar positioned at the top or bottom of your site, featuring a compelling call to action. Tools like Sumo offer an extensive range of features, including smart bars, share buttons, pop-ups, and welcome mats. Take advantage of these tools to enhance your business growth.
Highlight Satisfied Customers
Instill confidence in potential customers by showcasing positive testimonials and social proof on your WordPress website. Utilize plugins like Proven, which leverage social proof to increase conversions. Display recent sales and newsletter signups directly on your site, capturing the interest of browsing users. Customize the appearance of these callouts and create notifications that resonate with your target audience.
Mobile Responsiveness:
Ensure your website is mobile-friendly to cater to the growing number of users accessing the web via mobile devices. WordPress offers mobile-responsive themes that adapt to different screen sizes, improving user experience and facilitating better rankings on search engines like Google.
Create a Knowledge Resource:
Build a knowledge resource on your WordPress website, especially if your business deals with lifestyle, education, or philosophy. Offer detailed guides and valuable content to your audience and clients. Regularly update this resource to increase its value. Foster engagement by creating a user forum and nurturing a community around your knowledge base, presenting ample opportunities for business promotion.
Monitor Your Website:
Monitor and analyze your marketing strategies directly from your WordPress dashboard. Utilize tools like Google Analytics, which can be seamlessly integrated into your WordPress website through plugins. By tracking your website’s performance, you can identify effective tactics and refine strategies that may not yield desired results.
Customized Theme:
With thousands of customizable themes available, WordPress makes it easy to build your website according to your brand’s identity and requirements. Choose a theme that aligns with your business objectives and aesthetics, providing a strong foundation for your online presence.
Partnership:
Accelerate your business growth through strategic partnerships. Tap into your existing customer base to identify potential partners who can create new opportunities for both parties. Collaborating with complementary businesses expands your reach and attracts more customers.
FAQ:
How to Foster Business Growth with a WordPress Website
Building a business website is just the beginning; the real challenge lies in making your business thrive. Thankfully, with a WordPress website, you have the potential to achieve remarkable growth and success. WordPress offers a plethora of advantages that can fuel the expansion of your business.
“We have the technology, finally, that for the first time in human history allows people to really maintain rich connections with much larger numbers of people.” – Pierre Omidyar
Why is WordPress beneficial for your business?
WordPress is renowned for its user-friendly content management system (CMS). Countless individuals have successfully created their websites using WordPress without relying on developers. The platform simplifies the process of building a professional and visually appealing website that can significantly enhance your business.
Can beginners use WordPress to build their websites?
Absolutely! WordPress is exceptionally beginner-friendly. You don’t need to approach web developers to create your website. Even those new to website development can leverage WordPress to establish their online presence.
Setting up and running a WordPress website is incredibly straightforward. Many web hosts offer one-click auto-installers, streamlining the installation process. With a user interface akin to familiar programs like Microsoft Word or a word processor, navigating WordPress is a breeze.
What are the benefits of using WordPress for your business website?
Expanding your business with WordPress unlocks a multitude of advantages, including:
- Ease of use and installation: WordPress is designed to be user-friendly, ensuring that individuals of all technical backgrounds can easily navigate the platform. Installation is straightforward, and even beginners can get up and running quickly.
- Mobile-friendly themes: WordPress offers a vast selection of mobile-responsive themes, ensuring your website looks and functions seamlessly across various devices. With the increasing number of mobile users, this mobile-friendliness is crucial for reaching a broader audience.
- Customization and control: WordPress provides extensive customization options, allowing you to tailor your website to match your brand’s unique identity. From selecting themes to adding plugins and widgets, you have complete control over your website’s appearance and functionality.
- Versatility and scalability: WordPress is highly versatile, accommodating a wide range of business needs. Whether you’re running a small online store or managing a large enterprise, WordPress can scale with your business and adapt to its evolving requirements.
- Built-in business blog: A blog is a powerful tool for business growth, and WordPress comes equipped with a built-in blogging feature. Utilize this blog to share industry insights, engage with your audience, and establish yourself as a thought leader in your field.
By leveraging the capabilities of a WordPress website, you can pave the way for substantial business growth and capitalize on its numerous benefits.
Conclusion
Overcoming Business Challenges and Fostering Growth with WordPress. Starting and establishing a business can be a daunting task, but fortunately, WordPress offers a solution that can alleviate many potential issues and drive business performance. WordPress websites bring numerous benefits to businesses, but there are important factors to consider before diving in.
While WordPress provides an easy-to-use platform for creating websites, it’s important to acknowledge that mastering the platform does require time and effort. If you lack experience in coding or web design, consider investing in learning these skills to effectively build and manage your website.
To achieve success, your website must cater specifically to your target audience. It’s essential to understand the needs and preferences of your audience, whether they are newcomers to your industry or long-time enthusiasts. Tailoring your site accordingly will ensure its relevance and effectiveness.
If you are looking to leverage WordPress to grow your business online, keep these considerations in mind. Following the aforementioned tips for business growth will help you promote and expand your WordPress website in the right direction.
Just like any other business, your WordPress-focused enterprise will experience periods of growth and moments of stagnation. It is natural to encounter slow periods, but it is crucial to recognize when such slowness turns into a slump. Identifying these signs will prompt you to make necessary changes, as growth and progress rarely occur spontaneously.
