Creating a Business Website That Actually Works

Julie Starr • November 23, 2022



It’s common knowledge by now that more and more businesses have gone through a digital transformation . The world as a whole has shifted dramatically to depend more on technology and the business world has seen the potential.

Even small businesses now are likely to have an online presence and have seen the benefits. Here are some ways to help you to create a business website that actually helps your company.

How a Website Can Help

A website can have a huge impact on your company’s growth and profitability. It can allow you to reach customers all over the world. The internet is brilliant at one thing, and that is connecting people. While once, your target audience was limited to people who were local to your physical store or who you could otherwise reach in person, the internet allows you to reach everyone online. 

Some businesses, especially small businesses, have given up on physical stores altogether. Business websites are incredibly versatile, meaning that you can use them to advertise your product, sell your products, and offer advice and additional services. Your website can also act as a portfolio of your past work and allow customers to get to know your team and your company better.

However, certain industries still benefit from having a physical location for people to access. This might be an office or workshop where your employees work or a store that people can walk into to see your products in the flesh. However, your website will always draw more people in, especially if you use it right.

Social Media

As well as a business website, many companies expand their digital presence even further. Social media is essentially an online community where people congregate and share thoughts and opinions. People live separate lives on social media and can spend hours scrolling through to find something that interests them.

If your goal is to reach potential customers, then it makes sense to bring your brand to them. Social media allows you to do this in a setting that’s natural and comfortable for them. A social media account is a great platform to tell people about your business and what it has to offer.

Your social media account should have a personality that suits your brand. Some companies do this incredibly well. Both Wendy’s and Denny’s, fast food restaurants in the US, are well known for their social media accounts and the amount of personality and humor they deliver. Even if they aren’t directly advertising a product, people still see the brand.

This approach doesn’t work for every company. Some brands work better with a more professional social media presence, which means that you would avoid injecting as much personality into your posts. 

However, your social media account should be something that people find engaging and useful. If someone follows your business account, they’re far more likely to use your products or services. You can also use social media to tell people about any promotions or deals, which encourages people to try out your business. You should post regularly to encourage followers, but avoid spamming people with too many posts.

When setting up a social media account, be sure to link it to your business website so that people can visit it to make purchases or learn more about your company. 

Good Website Design

You can’t simply set up any old website and expect it to work. Your website needs to be designed so that people will find it easy to get around. Many people and companies use website design templates or platforms to help them to do this. Website design doesn’t have to be simply the domain of an IT professional anymore.

One great option is to outsource your website design to someone who knows exactly what they’re doing. They can then create a website that suits your needs and your brand, without any hiccups that could frustrate your customers. 

Services like Geelong offer a professional product that you and your customers can appreciate. If you want to create a new website for your Geelong business , then you can be assured that someone will develop exactly what you need. 

You should determine early what kind of website you want or need. If you’re selling a product, then an eCommerce website is a must. An online store like this can display your products and provides payment options for your customers. It should be easy to navigate and the checkout process should be as painless as possible to encourage customers to continue with the sale, rather than abandoning the shopping cart or basket.

However, other businesses might be able to make do with a simpler design. If you offer a service, then your website can instead act as a portfolio to show off your work and a point of contact between you and your customers. 

Sometimes eCommerce features, like payment options, are beneficial, so it’s best to figure out the best plan for your needs and design a website that can grow and develop further. Considerations like this are why web designers are so helpful.

Useful Content

As well as a platform to sell and advertise your products, your website should also include content for your customers and target audience to consume. Almost every business, no matter its niche, includes a blog of some kind, and so should you.

This is for a variety of reasons. First, while a website is convenient, it isn’t very personal. Part of the art of making a sale is getting a customer to like you. A blog allows you time to do this. If it’s well-written and useful, then a customer will appreciate it and be more likely to purchase a product or service from you. A blog can make you seem like more of an authority, which means that the customer can trust you. 

Content is also useful for marketing purposes, specifically SEO. SEO, otherwise known as search engine optimization, is a technique that works along with search engines on the internet to funnel people to your website. 

When most people are looking for a product or service, they use a search engine. They might type “blue wool coat for women” into the search bar and the engine will then find websites that it deems the most suitable for that subject. Typically, this will be a lot of clothing stores that sell coats.

The search engine results page (SERP) prioritizes two kinds of websites. First, most SERPs will display websites that have paid to be put there, making them more visible to customers. Paying Google or other search engines for this option is a fantastic way to get your brand out there. Secondly, the SERP will display relevant websites.

A search engine determines whether or not a website is relevant using content, backlinks, and keywords. The keyword is what the customer has typed in, so “blue wool coat for women”. The search engine will look for that word or phrase. It will also favor websites that are linked to other websites, as those are easier to find and better connected. So, your content provides search engines with more opportunities to find your website and consider it relevant, making it more likely for customers to find you. 

However, this doesn’t mean all your content should be stuffed with keywords. Search engines are intelligent and can spot this strategy. Your customers are also intelligent and will soon notice badly written content designed to appeal to a robot rather than a human. 

The first priority should be well-written, relevant content that people will find helpful. Many business owners choose to use content writers to add to their blogs. Another thing to consider is how often you post content. If you rarely update your blog, then you lose some of the benefits of owning one. Keep it up to date. 

Using Data Correctly

Your website is also a useful tool for generating data, which is a fantastic resource for any business. Customer data allows you to determine how effective your website is, as well as what people prefer. You can see which products sell best and which aren’t doing as well as they should be.

You can also track how people use your website, so you can see if any areas need improvement. For example, if many people don’t move on from the landing page, then it might not be designed in a way that helps people find what they are looking for. Or if they reach the checkout page but don’t complete the purchase, you could have another problem.

If possible, you should ask for the contact information of your customers. This means that you can reach out to them for other promotional deals, making them more likely to return. You can even contact them about abandoned shopping carts, offering a deal if they complete the purchase. 

A live chat option is an even better way to find out what your customers want, as you can ask them directly. Whatever you do, make sure that people don’t get annoyed or feel their privacy is threatened by your attempts to gather data.

5 Everyday Items That Can Quietly Boost Your Brand

By Julie Starr • July 17, 2025
The best branding doesn’t always come from big campaigns or expensive graphics. Sometimes it’s the smaller stuff that leaves the biggest impression. Things people actually use, touch, or carry with them. That’s where your brand can quietly make its mark without needing to shout about it. If you’re only focusing on social media and business cards, you’re leaving a lot on the table. Here are five overlooked ways to get your name out there that feel natural, useful, and more personal. Thank-you slips If you’re already sending out orders, there’s no reason not to include a short thank-you slip. You can easily get these made through any decent online print shop , and they’re usually pretty cheap to run off in small batches. Just a simple note that says thanks, maybe with a reminder to follow you online or a cheeky discount code for next time. It’s quick, thoughtful, and makes the whole order feel more finished. Customers notice that kind of detail, especially when everything else they buy online comes with zero personality. You don’t need a complicated design either. Just something clean with your logo, a message that sounds like you, and maybe a social handle. The point is to give them a reason to come back or remember your name without it feeling forced. Branded zip pouches If you sell physical products, offer services, or run events, small zip pouches are surprisingly effective. Think of the kind you’d use for stationery, receipts, or travel bits. You can get your brand printed on the side and hand them out with purchases or include them in welcome packs. People keep them because they’re actually useful. They get tossed in handbags, school bags, or glove boxes and your logo just keeps turning up. Cleaning cloths for glasses or screens This one works brilliantly if you’re in tech, health, beauty, or anything involving screens or eyewear. A simple microfibre cloth with your branding on it can go a long way. Everyone needs one. Whether they use it for glasses, a phone screen, or their laptop, it’s something they hang onto. It’s not the kind of thing people throw away, and that means your name sticks around too. Receipt envelopes You might already use little envelopes to hand over receipts or business cards. Branding those envelopes is a small change that makes a big difference. Instead of someone getting a scruffy bit of paper in a plain sleeve, they’re handed something that feels a bit more finished. You can even add a message inside. Doesn’t need to be anything dramatic. A simple “thanks for visiting” or “see you next time” is enough to add a personal touch. Wet wipes or mini hand gels If your business is in hospitality, food, or anything hands-on, branded wet wipes or pocket-sized hand gels are surprisingly popular. People actually use them, especially at festivals, food stalls, pop-ups, or kids’ events. They end up in handbags or cars and stick around longer than you think. They don’t scream “marketing” either. They’re practical, and when done right, they make your business feel thoughtful. That’s what good branding does, it shows you’ve thought ahead.

How Student-Led ‘Energy Audits’ Are Cutting School Costs (and Lighting the Way Forward)

By Julie Starr • July 14, 2025
What happens when students stop waiting for adults to fix things and start conducting their own energy audits? Money gets saved. The lights get switched off. Data gets analyzed. And a quiet revolution in sustainability begins—inside schools that once overlooked their own inefficiencies. Across the globe, student-led energy audits are proving that change doesn't always need to come from a policy shift or a major capital budget. Sometimes, it begins with a clipboard, a spreadsheet, and a group of curious minds asking: Why are the hallway lights on at noon when sunlight floods the building? The Energy Detectives These audits aren’t science fair projects. They’re rigorous investigations, often done in collaboration with facilities staff, local environmental nonprofits, or even engineering mentors. Students go from classroom to classroom measuring electricity usage, checking for phantom loads , and identifying where heat is escaping in winter or air conditioning is leaking in summer. One high school in Ontario saved over $12,000 a year after its Grade 11 physics students ran an energy audit and suggested simple changes—LED upgrades, motion sensors in bathrooms, and smarter heating schedules. They didn’t just propose ideas. They pitched them with spreadsheets, thermal images, and payback timelines. It worked. Learning That Pays Off—Literally Unlike textbook learning, these audits blend real-world math, environmental science, economics, and persuasive communication. Students aren’t just learning about sustainability. They’re doing it. And the savings add up. From dimming overlit hallways to reprogramming HVAC systems that run all weekend for empty buildings, students are surfacing blind spots that administrators often overlook. In some districts, their findings are influencing energy policy. Elsewhere, the audits have inspired school boards to hire sustainability coordinators—often alumni of the student programs themselves. There’s something poetic about a school funding new books or laptops from money saved by students who found out the vending machines didn’t need to be plugged in 24/7. Why This Matters More Than Ever With education budgets tightening and utility costs rising, every dollar saved is a dollar that can go back into classrooms. And here’s where it gets interesting from a family finance perspective, too. If you’re a parent setting aside money for post-secondary savings, every bit of school efficiency helps. Fewer energy costs might mean more programming, better STEM facilities, or even bursaries. That raises a broader point: when families save for their children’s future, they often look into RESPs (Registered Education Savings Plans). And many wonder—is a RESP deduction available on my taxes? While contributions themselves aren’t deductible, the gains grow tax-free, and students often pay little to no tax when they withdraw the funds during school. A Movement Worth Replicating These audits aren’t just an exercise in environmentalism. They’re leadership labs. Students learn how to spot inefficiencies, speak up in board meetings, and make a business case for change. They don’t just flip switches—they shift mindsets. And they carry these habits into adulthood. The result? A generation growing up not only with climate anxiety, but also with tools to tackle it.