Obstacles That Limit Online Business Expansion and Strategies to Overcome Them

Convert visitors by building credibility, create and secure a website, lead generation tips, and how to show repeat customers you appreciate their business.

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Converting Visitors

Having good products and a lot of website visitors isn't enough for a business to succeed, and converting customers is often cited as one of the biggest challenges for entrepreneurs. That's why building trust and credibility with your target group is critical.

Displaying reviews and ratings on your site is one of the most effective ways to gain customers' trust. According to studies cited by GlobeNewswire, 58% of consumers are willing to pay more for products from a company with good reviews, and 95% read online reviews before buying. Displaying customer reviews on your site can hike your conversion rates by up to 20%.

Here are a few ways to build trust and credibility for your online business:

You can also demonstrate credibility by publishing good reviews that appear on Google, Yelp, or other platforms.

Creating an Appealing Website and Securing It

Of the small business owners who don't have a website, 30% cite high costs as the reason. They are convinced that having a website is too expensive. However, this is not true. You don't need a technical background or a lot of money to create a website today, and you don't need any experience to use a platform like WordPress or Wix.

Having a website is worth it: 75% of consumers say they check out a business online before visiting it in person.

Using a content management system is advisable; more than 60% of business websites will use one in 2024. WordPress lets you experiment with different themes, fonts, colors, and other features to customize your site depending on your business activity.

Now that you have a beautifully designed website, you need to consider security. WordPress is relatively secure. Its firewall, Wordfence, blocked three million attacks from about 14,000 IP addresses between January and June 2023. In 2022, it defused 159 billion potential password hacks on WordPress sites. The tool has a free version.

Security Tips

To make sure your business website remains safe, keep it updated and use SSL encryption. Avoid vulnerabilities by regularly updating your plugins, software, and themes. If you have an e-commerce store and a subdomain that is separate from the main site, you need to update that as well.

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is an indispensable security protocol that ensures safe data transfer between your visitors' browsers and your website's server. It protects payment details, login data, and other sensitive information from interception. What's more, search engines consider SSL certificates a sign of trustworthiness, so having one can improve your website's search rankings.

Generating Leads

Over 50% of businesses consider lead generation to be the biggest marketing challenge. If this is an issue for you, too, consider multi-step forms in WordPress. They have been found to increase conversions by 300%. The lead generation market worldwide is expected to reach $9.6 billion by 2028, up from $3.1 billion in 2021. According to Ruler Analytics data, lead generation is a top priority for 91% of marketers.

Showing Repeat Customers Your Appreciation

Repeat customers often consume a significant share of a business's content and revenue. According to 2023 data from Zippia, existing customers account for 65% of a company's revenue, and the customer retention rate is around 75% on average. A disturbing fact is that the majority of customers - 72% - will switch to a competing company after one single negative experience. In 2023, 71% of consumers switched to a new brand at least once, which proves you should never take customer loyalty for granted.

An excellent customer experience ensures loyalty. Ask for feedback and use criticism to improve your content, products, or services. By demonstrating that you care about customers' opinions, you show that customer satisfaction is a priority.

Respond to questions promptly and politely. This helps improve customer satisfaction.

Reward loyal customers by offering discounts, special deals, or exclusive content. You can even set up discounts in WordPress. This will strengthen customers' connection to your brand and encourage them to keep returning.

Investing in a Business's Online Presence Is Crucial in 2024

95% of all purchases are expected to be made online by 2040, so overcoming the obstacles limiting your online business expansion is worth the effort. The internet is the future. We hope the strategies outlined in this article are helpful on your entrepreneurial journey.