Every organization should consider having an online business strategy, including microbusinesses, if they don’t already have one. Like it or not, every microbusiness has to compete with the “big guys” – and the most effective way to do so may be by cultivating an active, sophisticated online presence. By boosting brand awareness and meeting customer needs, your microbusiness can reach customers across the country and around the world; not a bad feat, especially for a business with five employees or less.

Here are six tips for translating your online business strategy into reality:

1. Design a professional-looking, easy-to-navigate website. Unless you’re a web designer by trade (or hobby), this is one area where the expense of hiring an outside expert is generally justifiable. Generic sites that take a long time to load and employ outmoded checkout processes will only lose potential customers. It’s in your best interests to design and develop a website that looks good, is easy to navigate, and — when it comes to actual purchase and delivery — customer-friendly.

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