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Have you tried any of these examples out? What tools have you found that are not listed in this graphic?

Does your site need to catch up, or are you already ahead of the curve?

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For the most part, the new platform seems to be much more about resources than it is about cosmetics. In their words:

“We want to help more businesses provide great content on Pinterest and make it easy to pin from their websites. Today, we’re taking a first step toward that goal with some free tools and resources.”

The home page of Pinterest for Business offers four areas in which the new platform will benefit them: Tell Your Story, Build A Community, Send Traffic Your Way, and Learn And Grow. In order to take advantage of these, you just have to go through the simple process of either converting to a business profile, or signing up for one if you are not already a user.

That process is:

1. Sign up with your business name. No more imitating personal profiles.

2. Verify your website. You’ll get a check mark badge to accompany your profile

3. Add new buttons and widgets. The Profile Widget, Board Widget, Pin It Button, and Follow Button.

And what’s your reward? Access to:

- Upcoming features and product updates that will keep you abreast of things coming down the pipeline so you can have a plan ready when new things are rolled out.

- Case studies of great brands that are successfully leveraging Pinterest, complete with metrics

- What Works, a Pinterest-generated best practices guide for getting you on the right track

- Guides and documentation – the official rules for using Pinterest in your promotional materials.

What else do you need to know? There are new Terms of Service associated with this new product, so make sure you’re familiar.

Now get converted and get back to pinning!

Merely building a small business website is not enough to get you noticed in random searches. You must employ search engine optimization (SEO) practices to up where your small business website ranks among all the others. Having your website appear on page 20 of search results is going to do you no good, as potential customers rarely scan beyond the first few pages.

Wondering how you should go about applying SEO tactics to your small business website? Well, we are here to help you with that task:

First, make sure that the content of your small business website is rich with keywords that will help search engines point to your site. This can be a slippery slope to embark upon, as generic keywords just won’t cut the mustard. Aim to be as specific as possible, focusing on terms that apply directly to your small business market and its location. For example, if your small business is Tornado Alley Flowers, a florist shop in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma, it would be wise to use keywords, such as “flowers, florist, arrangements, bouquets, plants, gifts, balloons, and downtown Tulsa,” just to rattle off a few. Keywords are a vital aspect to increasing SEO results, but it is important to keep in mind that overuse can hurt the results because the search engine will view the site as trying too hard.

Keyword placement sounds simple enough, but there is more that needs to be done behind the scenes to increase the search rankings of your small business website. This is where you will need to add information to the HTML coding. This really isn’t as daunting as it may sound, as most content management systems (which you most likely used to create your small business website) easily allow for this. To begin with, your small business website should have a descriptive title tag, which essentially tells the search engine what your site is all about. Using the example above, a good title tag would be: “Tornado Alley Flowers for your flower, arrangement, bouquet and gift needs in downtown Tulsa.” Not only does this explain what the small business website is about, it is also the first line of text visible in the search results.

Perfecting the art of SEO is not an exact science. This can be a process of trial and error, as you discover which elements work and which do not in terms of ranking your small business website. It would be unwise to expect astronomical results right out of the starting gate. You will get a feel for the basics of SEO and become comfortable with exploring more advanced techniques. Rome wasn’t built in a day, so exercise patience.

1. Home page: The home page is the first thing customers see on a website, but too often not enough effort is put into its creation. A small business website home page is the showcase for what your business has to offer. A good first impression will retain visitors and make them customers. Make sure to link back to the home page from all the other pages of the small business website.  
2. Contact page: Give your website visitors and customers a convenient way to contact you with any questions or concerns about your small business. A link to the contact page should be provided on every page of a small business website. Provide a number of ways for customers to contact you: phone, address, email, fax, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. You can use our ContactMe to help manage all the contact requests you receive on your small business website. 
3. About us: This is the page on a small business website where you can detail what your small business is about, as well as the company history, policies, and philosophies. The information on this page will provide insight into the business and help build credibility for your customers.

The previous three pages are essential for all small business websites. There are a number of other pages that could be included, depending on the nature of your small business and the needs of your customers. 

4. Blog: A blog can be a big asset to any small business website. A lot of your website content will remain static for some time, so a blog is an excellent vehicle for updating content on a regular basis, giving customers a reason to come back often. Utilize a blog to talk about new products, services, updates, and/or events. Keep your readers engaged and you will convert new visitors into loyal customers of your small business website. Another great benefit to keeping an active blog – search engine ranking.
5. Web store: This is a “no-duh” recommendation if your small business website deals with e-commerce. Organize and present all of your products with handy descriptions, and make sure the page is user-friendly and easy to browse.
6. Location information: If you have a physical, brick-and-mortar business location, then you need a website page that will direct customers to your front door. 
7. Testimonials: Good reviews and customer testimonials are an excellent means of drawing in new customers to your small business website. New visitors are likely to become new customers if they can read all the positive feedback existing customers have given about your small business and/or products.  If there are current reviews on sites like Yelp or Google,  be sure to direct your customers to those testimonials as well.
8. FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) is the place for customers to find answers to common questions about your  business. It is likely the customers will find the answers they are seeking, thus limiting the number of calls and messages you will have to field from perplexed customers. Start creating this page of your small business website by simply answering questions as if there was no information about the business on your site.
9. Terms of Service: This is where you outline your business practices on your small business website. Policies on return, refunds and guarantees can be listed and detailed. It is important to keep yourself and your business legally protected.

Build a strong foundation for your small business website by including as many of these pages as possible. It may seem daunting on the surface, but with the right tools, it is really quite simple. Soon you will have a small business website that will attract and retain customers.

If this sounds complicated and scary, fear not, as even the most basic of SEO steps can help the search results of your small business website. When making a website for your small business, there are a number for reference guides that can assist you. Google offers a wonderful free SEO starter guide that can be downloaded to assist you with making a website.

What is the intent of your small business website?

Look in the mirror and ask yourself, “What are my small business website needs?” Are you trying to lure customers to your storefront, or are you selling your wares and services strictly online? Is your small business website a source for product and service information? Are you building and sustaining a relationship with your customers? A small business website can have a multitude of purposes, but prioritize them while designing and creating a new website.

6 Essential Characteristics of a Successful Small Business Website:

1. Simple Navigation.This is a must-have on all small business websites. You want your customers to easily locate the information they are seeking in a short period of time. If your visitors come to your website and have difficulty finding their way around, they will likely go elsewhere for their needs. Important information should be on multiple pages and navigational links should be clearly labeled. Think about how you would want a small business website organized if you were the customer.

2. Call to Action. Give your customers something to do when they visit your small business website. Do you want to drive sales, encourage visitors to enter the web store? The end goal you wish your customers to reach should be the strategy behind creating your call to action. It is important that this step is prominently placed. For example: you can provide a large link advertising special deals or sales. To build relationships on your small business website, encourage customers to sign up to become a member or receive a newsletter. Think of your small business website purpose when deciding upon your call to action.

3. Create an Attractive Design. An eye-catching small business website is an excellent means of drawing in customers. A large, catchy header and use of images will grab their attention. But, be careful not to overdo it and distract customers from your website content with too many bells and whistles. Speaking of website content, it should be very easy to read with simple font size and color. Content structure on your small business website should be formatted for readability with line breaks, bullet points and bold words, so customer can quickly take in the information.

4. Sticky Content. This is the meat and potatoes of a small business website. The content determines the quality. So, what exactly is “sticky content”? It simply describes great content that will attract visitors and get them to “stick” on the website and return again. The content on your small business website should hold value for your customers. Give them useful information and interesting points of view.

5. Credibility. Customers who visit your small business website want to feel like they can trust you. With so many scams out there these days, credibility is key. Scamming sites generally put very little effort into their designs, so paying attention to the details of your small business website is very important. Also, there are little things that suggest credibility, like unique domain names (ex: www.contactme.com), email addresses that match the domain name (ex: info@contactme.com), and legitimate telephone numbers.

6. Mobility. Everyone seems to be always on the go. Some experts suggest that mobile Internet use will surpass desktop usage as soon as 2015. Mobile browsing and shopping are big trends, so it is vital to keep up and have a small business website that can be accessed with mobile devices.

When Twitter first hit the scene, it was mainly used as an avenue for letting people know what you are doing. Some scoffed at it, not wanting to know what their friends had for lunch, but it has emerged as something much more important. The ability to reach out and start conversations with followers helps form relationships, which is important for small businesses and something to keep in mind to get new customers.

Getting Started

First and foremost, you need to create a Twitter account for your small business website. This is very easy and can be done with a quick visit to the Twitter website. Next, you need to make sure that your account is prepared for the influx of traffic it is sure to get. Below are a few tips for getting it all right:

• Create a user name that is easy to remember and as close as possible to the name of your small business website. There is little point in making a website if potential followers cannot easily find it when searching Twitter.
• Complete all the fields in your profile to look more credible and make it easier to find you in a search.
• In the “Bio” field of your profile, insert the URL of your small business website, which will drive traffic back to the site.
• Upload a relevant image that is in line with your small business website. When making a website, we recommended using graphics for the business logo – the logo would be perfect here.
•  Populate your Twitter account with insightful tweets before staring a strong promotional push so new followers will see you have something to offer that they want to be a part of.
• It is also okay to let followers know that you are new to Twitter. They will appreciate the honesty and allow for a learning curve, while at the same time presenting a human side, which is good for building relationships.

Building Traffic

Having a lot of followers is great, but not just for the sake of padding numbers. You want quality followers, as in people who are interested in what you have to say and like what you are doing who have the potential to become customers or recommenders of your business. These are the followers who will spread the word and let others know about your Twitter account and small business website.

One of the facets of Twitter is to get information to spread virally, which can easily be described as a chain reaction. You want your followers to retweet your posts, which will go out to all their followers, who in turn may retweet that message. And so, and so on, and so on. Simply put, you make a website, and then tweet about it and the message can spread like wildfire, as long as it is interesting enough to spark to a retweet chain reaction.

How do you get these quality followers, you might ask? Here are a couple of tips:

• Urge existing customers to become followers. Let the existing customers and visitors to your small business website know that you are on Twitter. This can be done by a small announcement on your home page and a Twitter icon widget that will link directly to your account.
• Start following similar entities and add to the ongoing conversations. Become a follower of others that have a similar focus as your small business website. To find these accounts, do a simple search on topics, locations, and/or phrases. Feel free to chime in on a discussion if you find it relevant. You can do this by addressing the poster by placing the “@” symbol directly before their user name in the post. For example, “I wanted to know how to get new customers and @jimmypagemaker had great info.”

Keep it Interesting

You went through the process of making a website for your small business and have amassed a group of followers. Now what? You need to keep them interested so they come back more and continue to retweet your messages. You may be limited to just 140 characters each time, but that is enough to get the conversations rolling. Here are some tips:

• Include links in your messages. People will not click on random links, so make sure to explain where it is they will be going. This is a great means of linking followers to your small business website.

Extra tip: You can use tools like bitly and ow.ly to shorten the length of the links/URLs and save some of those 140 characters. These tools also offer other features, like tracking visits.

• Send out tweets that relate specifically to your business or area of interest.
• Ask them questions. Get your followers engaged in a conversation.
• Tweet about the latest industry news. Let your followers know that you are one smart cookie and are on top of things.
• Develop a unique voice/personality so your tweets come off more “human.”
• Use hash tags (#) to mark a specific topic of the conversation and start or add to a trend. For example, “how to make a website made easy with #WebsApps.”
• Be consistent with updating your tweets; you don’t want your followers to get bored with long gaps between tweets.

What Not to Do

As with just about anything, there are things you should avoid when tweeting about your small business website…

• Blatant self-promotion. This can get very tiresome and very off-putting. Your followers already know what you are all about, so mainly stick news, conversations, announcements, promotions and industry talk.
• Over doing it. Some Twitter followers are very particular about having their feed overloaded, especially if it is from the same user. For the purposes of your small business website, try to cap your daily tweets to three per day. That is not to say that you cannot respond to conversations, but no more new topics.
• Duplicating tweets. This is a no-brainer. Your followers do not want carbon copies of what has already been sent out.

These guidelines should be very helpful in creating a successful Twitter following. Remember, when making a website, Twitter is just a small cog in the overall machine of promoting your small business, but it can be a powerful one.