Many business owners are quick to diminish or even ignore how powerful a website can be. This is problematic, because by maintaining a compelling, well put-together website, your business could see an increase in its customer base, and of course, higher profits from month to month. When set up correctly, a good small business website can effectively serve as a separate location for the business; even though it’s not a physical location, it can still have the effect of drawing in and winning over new clients, giving them a medium through which to ask you questions about your product, and allow you to host an online marketplace to help sell more of your product.

With all of this being said, a website that is poorly put together is, in most cases, just as bad as not having a website at all. Some business owners believe that running a good website for the business is essentially useless, or that “no one is going to look at it.” This false generalization overlooks the fact that more and more customers from all demographics are using the internet to locate the products and services they desire and need. If your business’ website is “invisible” to the common public who is searching for what you sell, or if the content or presentation on your website is lacking, you are losing out on this large potential customer base who is looking to spend money on what you have to offer.

Here are four tips you can implement to ensure that your small business’ website is up to par and ready to generate revenue:

1. Start with Keyword Research

Unlike writing an essay, where your focus should be on diversifying your language and avoiding repetition, the content on a website should focus on a targeted group of keywords that best describe the product you sell. There are many online tools available to conduct keyword research that will help you estimate how popular a given keyword is locally and nationally, and come up with similar keyword you may want to target. You should incorporate these keywords in a deliberate fashion into the body of your website, but don’t go overboard. Search engines need to be able to categorize your website based on the keywords you provide, but there is a such thing as too much. A good rule of thumb is to keep the content of your site as easy to read and engaging as possible for humans, not for search engines.

2. Don’t “yell” at people to buy your product. Let them come to their own conclusions

Most internet users in 2012 are savvy enough to realize that any website domain ending in “.com” is probably trying to sell them something. They are also good enough at navigating the internet to quickly close any pop-up ads, press “mute” on ads that make noise, and to naturally close pages that are laden with flashy, animated advertisements that take away from the actual content of the website. Furthermore, trying to “trick” customers by incorporating inconspicuous advertisements into your website that trick them into clicking but then take them away from the actual content they were viewing is a good way of basically encouraging those users not to return to your site. The smartest strategy is to focus on writing fantastic content that convinces the user they need your product. If you don’t already have a content writer at your business, have one of your best sales people help you come up with written content. You should be as detailed, honest, and descriptive as possible.

3. Emphasize your credibility

Many potential customers who land on your site for the first time are going to be skeptical about your credibility. There are millions of websites online that are trying to sell them something – and many of these sites are scams. This is why it is crucial to emphasize your business’ credibility throughout your website. Either through real testimonials whose providers offer their real names and locations; through badges that show the organizations with which your business is affiliated; or through any other types of awards you have won that make your business appear more trustworthy. Customers will be much more likely to give you money (especially through an online payment) if they trust that many other clients have done so and have been satisfied with the results.

4. Focus on the most visible websites that point to your website

If a client is looking for information about your business or your product, your website is most likely not the only place they are going to look. Search engines work to provide your customers with a variety of resources with which to receive a glimpse of what your business does from various perspectives and not only your own. This is why it is extremely important to “Google” or perform any search on your business so you can see what the client sees. Even if your business’ website is spectacular and highly profitable, you could be plagued by a poor review that is blatantly obvious to potential customers on your search results page. Websites such as Google Places, Yelp, Menupages, the Better Business Bureau, and other rating sites have sat comfortably on the first or second page of Google search results for most business or restaurant searches for years now. If your business has an outstanding complaint on one of these websites that has not been addressed for a while, there may be a large set of customers who are reluctant to buy from you until these reviews improve.