Ways To Make Your Start-up Business Look More Professional Online

When starting up a new business it’s important that your brand looks professional. In this article, we’ll share some of our favourite tips on how to make your business look as professional, established and trustworthy that will help grow your business.

Create a website

If you don’t already have a website for your business, now is the time to create one. Your website is usually the centre of all online activity and it’s owned media, which means you have full control and it can’t be removed compared to other channels such as Facebook where they can remove your page if you break their rules.

Websites can bring you a lot of benefits, they can make you look professional, showcase your work and case studies, bring in leads/sales and display your customer testimonials/reviews.

There’s a range of options for building websites and it can be extremely affordable. The expense may depend on what your business goals are. For example if it’s just for local presence, then a website builder may be enough, and if this seems relevant to then read our basic web design tips for self builders here. However, if you are using it as the main way to generate leads you may want to invest more into your site.

If building your own website seems daunting to you, take a look at our web design offerings.

Your business identity

Business name

A business name is often your first impression with customers. Your name is the most recognisable aspect of your business.

Think digitally first! Your choice of name may be limited by domain availability and if you can’t secure mybusinessname.co.uk or .com, you may need to reconsider so your customers and clients can find you easier online.

You need to ensure your business name is one your customers will remember. This is because potential customers might not be ready to buy from you immediately, but with a memorable name you can increase your chances of them coming back to you when they are ready to buy.

Business email address

Setting up email addresses with your domain is important. How would you feel about going to a dentist whose email is @gmail.com or @yahoo.com? It would probably seem a little out of place and unprofessional. It’d come across as a little too home-spun for their type of business.

You should have an email address that matches your domain name, it’s simple and not expensive. The vast majority of web hosting providers will allow you to set up email addresses with your own domain at the end. Your website host may provide that as service.

We use Google Workplace, they can give you an email address at your domain name, which looks better than an @gmail.com address. Find out how to set up Google Workplace for your start-up here.

Google my business listing

A GMB listing is a huge benefit to any business. By having a profile you can reach more potential customers, increase your brand awareness, and increase your website visitors.

It also gives you a verified business profile. We always recommend that you verify your GMB listing. This is a fairly simple process and is required to add any new listing. This will ensure that you can set up all the correct details for your listing.

Also, with GMB listings, you can collect reviews from your customers. This can make your business look more established, professional and trustworthy to new customers.

Branding

Branding encompasses your entire business, both online and offline. Keep your branding consistent. Your online brand should carry the same tone as what you do offline. Use the same colours on your website as you do in your store. Your customers should not feel any interruption between visiting you online and seeing you in person.

Logo

Focus on a good quality logo, because it will appear on all of your branding. People notice images before words, so a logo can make your brand instantly recognisable. A logo will help make your brand look more professional as usually, it is expected from your audience. It will also help make strong and lasting impressions.

Set up social media and maintain

After you have all of the above established, you’re ready to develop a presence across social media, as putting together all the above steps, will instantly make the face of your social media look professional. Social media platforms you may use will depend on your business goals, however it may be worth setting up accounts to ensure that you get your businesses username.

It’s also important to look active and maintain a consistent online presence. For social media to be effective, you will also need to post regularly, grow your audience and engage with your visitors that are interacting with your social pages. If your company is already busy, and pushing social media aside, you can find our tips for busy business owners here.