Business Lessons from the Pandemic: Why You Need an Easy-to-Edit Website
One month ago, our lives were quite different than they are today. We were eating out at our favorite restaurants, going to movies, planning upcoming travel and still working in the office. In the past thirty days, we’ve learned more about preparation, flexible work schedules and homeschooling than we had anticipated.
I watched my clients completely change their business models in just a few short weeks. Some adjusted their services to continue meeting the needs of their customers. Others are temporarily closed until the worst of the Covid-19 outbreak passes. In both cases, my clients – like all businesses wading through these uncharted waters – needed to communicate with their customers quickly in order to either keep the business running or to manage expectations for the consumer.
Why is it important to make edits to my website?
While the Covid-19 outbreak is a highly unique situation, there are plenty of other scenarios where it is beneficial to have a website that is easy to edit and manage.
Add e-commerce capabilities to your website. If a brick-and-mortar store is closed due to unforeseen circumstances, the business could still find ways to make a profit through website sales.
Change or add store hours, locations, contact information. It is always best to keep business contact information, hours and location up to date on your website.
Add or remove events. Covid-19 has put a damper on many spring events, canceling much anticipated fun. Make sure your customers know what’s happening and have the latest information.
Add new product or services. Let your customers know what you have to offer, including new products and service lines.
How easy-to-edit websites helped my clients during the Covid-19 outbreak
Oh So Sweet by Tiphanie – Bakery/Cafe
Oh So Sweet by Tiphanie already had cakes available to order online. With the closure of dining in, we were able get the lunch menu online for people to order takeout within one day. Plus, we added the ability to purchase gift cards online.
Bella Salon & Bello Barber
Within a week of finding out they had to close their location, we were able to implement an online shopping experience for customers to purchase gift cards and products and continue to support the salon and barber shop.
What’s the best website vendor to use?
The number of templates and hosting vendors is overwhelming. Buyer beware: not all website vendors are equal! I’ve designed many website and utilized a number of platforms, and there is a clear winner in my book: Squarespace.
Squarespace is ideal for small businesses and non-profit organizations and here is why: Squarespace is easy to navigate; easy to manage; and offers responsive design. Plus, Squarespace offers a variety of features that could improve your website.
Here are some of the features I use with my clients:
Blog platform for success stories, news, program highlights
E-commerce capabilities
Calendar of events
E-newsletter integration directly with Mailchimp
Custom forms with over 15 different data types, such as addresses, currency, emails, and text fields, making it easy to capture data from your site visitors.
Announcement bar or promotional pop-ups to highlight a major promotion or encourage users to sign up for your newsletter or an event.
Other features include photo galleries, linking to files, and fully searchable
Ready to build a website?
Websites are the cornerstone to many businesses, providing important information and products to their customers. If you’re ready to take your website to the next level, let me help! Contact me to set up a meeting and start working on this great tool for your business.