As an SMB, your website is not just another box to tick; it’s a powerful tool for generating business. With sometimes low profit margins, an effective website can make a significant impact, transforming it from a mere digital storefront into a crucial asset for driving revenue and shaping customer interactions.

Our recent SMB survey report further highlights the importance of websites to SMBs' success. The survey found that 98.7% of SMB owners who have a website estimate it will contribute to their revenue generation, with 42.5% expecting that more than half (yes, half) of their total revenue will be generated from their business website in 2024.

Given these statistics, it's clear that optimizing your website is crucial for business growth. But where should you focus your efforts? Our survey reveals three areas that can boost your online presence:

1. Implement eCommerce capabilities, even if you’re not in retail
2. Integrate your website with your main software platform
3. Choose a website building platform that requires minimal maintenance
   
   

In this article, we'll explore these three aspects to help you build a stronger online presence and drive business growth through your website. 

Implement eCommerce capabilities, even if you’re not in retail

Our survey unfolded an important insight: for SMB owners, selling services online is one of the top three ways their website contributes to their business (36%). While 36% is not a small number, it’s fair to assume that there are still quite a few SMBs that are not selling services online. 

The misconception that eCommerce equals retail, coupled with the potential complications of selling online—or what digital agencies or SMBs assume will be complicated—are reasons enough to avoid implementing eCommerce capabilities on a service-based website.

What a missed opportunity!

Turning your website into a money maker can really open up your business to an additional revenue stream while boosting customer satisfaction. If you consider the holiday season, this missed opportunity is multiplied. You can and should, capitalize on the increased consumer spending associated with the holiday season and offer your services to a broader audience, maximizing your business's true potential. 

Enter transactional sites.

As the name implies, these sites incorporate a broad range of transactions, extending beyond traditional retail sales. Simply put, every small business can easily sell its services online, may it be a fitness trainer selling online training sessions or a lawyer selling a consultation meeting. 

As for the ‘how,’ transactional sites are much simpler to create and manage as services pricing usually remains consistent over time, and there is no need for inventory management, product catalogs, or complex operational tasks. 

In summary, SMBs and their agencies can reap the benefits of eCommerce without the associated headaches.

Integrate your website with your main software platform

Our survey revealed a significant trend: nearly 64% of SMBs have already integrated their website with their main software platform to some extent. This integration ranges from full integration (28%) to partial integration (40%), with an additional 14% planning to integrate in the future. This widespread adoption of integration isn't just a coincidence—it's a strategic move that's paying off for SMBs in multiple ways. 

As you consider the future of your online presence, remember that your website is not just a standalone entity; it’s a key component of your overall business ecosystem. By integrating it with your main software, you're creating a powerful, interconnected platform that enhances operational efficiency, reduces errors, improves customer experience, and boosts revenue generation—in other words, drives growth. 

If you’re having a hard time imagining what this kind of integration might look like, just think of a consulting firm’s clients being able to view project progress directly online or a law firm’s client getting an automatic invoice and updates on their case status. These are just a few examples; the possibilities are endless. 

Choose a website building software that requires minimal maintenance.

As highlighted in our survey, ease of update and maintenance is the top factor for 43% of SMB owners when choosing software to build their websites. That’s not surprising considering our previous survey report, from 2023, found that the leading pain point for agencies in website building is maintenance. 

Choosing a platform that minimizes maintenance can address several significant issues:

• Plugin management: An overload of plugins, each requiring its own updates, can lead to compatibility issues and ‘breaking’ sites. Opting for a platform with built-in features and apps reduces dependency on external plugins and streamlines updates.
  
  
• Avoid downtime: Site downtimes can lead to lost business, client frustration, and damage to your reputation. A platform with strong reliability and uptime guarantees (look for a reliable hosting provider to start with) helps keep your site working and reduces client concerns.
  
  
• Addressing security: Security vulnerabilities are a constant threat (pun intended). Platforms with robust, built-in security features and regular updates can safeguard your site against potential breaches and reduce the stress of managing security threats yourself.
  
  
• Efficient content management: Manually updating content across multiple pages can be tedious, especially for routine changes like updating business hours. Look for platforms that offer site-wide content management capabilities, which allow you to make bulk updates easily and maintain consistency without additional effort.

To maintain your business integrity, avoid damaging your profits, improve efficiency, enhance security, and maintain better client relations with less hassle, make sure you do your diligence in choosing a website-building platform that emphasizes low maintenance. 

Your business deserves the strongest online presence possible. 

There are other areas we could have highlighted. Increasing visibility in search engines, for instance, also highlighted in our survey, is a common aspect that can boost an online presence. However, these key areas—eCommerce capabilities for non-retail, integration with your main software, and choosing a low-maintenance platform—are less talked about or written about and they have a huge potential to transform your website from a less effective digital presence into a stronger one, a dynamic asset that drives efficiency and growth.