2 min read

It’s the new weather talk - ‘what a strange time we’re in!’

One week we’re discussing which swim will be the last of the summer, the next we’re watching music live on Instagram in pj’s at home because everything in real life is cancelled. While you’re at home, let’s get your website working harder for you.

Although it’s easy to get wrapped up in the negatives (and the minutiae- how to squeeze more food into the freezer) there are opportunities for many creative businesses online. Website updates often get pushed down the daily to-do lists, because, well, there’s more pressing things to attend to.

But now is a time to focus more on your website and make it a major priority. As everyone is sitting at home working (or pretending to!) on their phones, you have a customer base waiting for you to adapt and allow them to continue their pre-virus habits. In a time of uncertainty, you can be one of the few parts of someone’s life that stays mostly the same.

Use this checklist to maximise your website for during the coronavirus crisis and beyond:

1. Firstly - Check your contact details are up to date and if you have a contact form test that it works!
   

2. Add an announcement banner on your website - tell people if you’re still in business, and what has changed in the customer/business interaction.
   

3. Get on social media, even if it’s been a while or you don’t usually utilise it often - you will need to get used to it and make it a new regular business habit.
   

4. If your website doesn’t currently take payments, engage a web designer to add an online store.
   

5. Update your online products, services and menus, reiterating where you can the hygiene practices you’re implementing.
   

6. Expand your online offering - add new packages, a wide range of price points, delivery options (no-contact delivery is gaining in popularity), or more payment methods.
   

7. Communicate each of these additions/changes on social media, email lists and blog.
   

8. Submit to guest blogs, articles and wherever else you can! Focus on what you can add to your people’s lives, rather than the negatives of this situation.

This period of isolation has some potential for creative small businesses. It’s an opportunity to connect with your customers in new ways and use your creativity for your business model as well as for your products.

Plus, when we’ve all come out the other side, some of us might decide we actually prefer the couch office!

 Author Bio: 

Candice is a web and graphic designer, and owner of Paige Digital. She helps creative small businesses translate their work into relatable brands and sustainable online businesses. Candice has extensive e-Commerce experience and loves working with passionate women to make a difference, large or small. Staying home for her means baking and gardening (and working) with her toddler.