Streamlining online business marketing efforts

Having an online presence is a crucial component of small business marketing. However, it's not enough to merely set up a website. To maximize the success of the effort, it's important to streamline the site and make sure it contains all the information consumers will be looking for without being too cluttered.

In a New York Times blog post earlier this month, Gabriel Shaoolian of Blue Fountain Media solicited readers' opinions about the website of New York-based Little Dudes and Divas, which sells clothes and accessories for babies and toddlers. A total of 90 percent of the company's sales are made through the website, with the rest occurring at its newly opened brick-and-mortar location.

Steve Karasanti, who operates the business with his wife Susan, is no stranger to online marketing.

"We did extensive research on SEO," he told the news source. "Our site is filled with meaningful and unique content."

The company also has a social media presence via Twitter and Facebook, and leverages blogs, forums and YouTube to expand the reach of its business promotions. As is typical for many small businesses, the Karasantis try to go the extra mile by offering personalized customer service and responding promptly to consumers' comments and questions.

Much of the feedback about the website involved the amount of information and the number of products featured on the homepage.

"I'd trim the homepage down to probably 20 percent of what they have on there now: focus on specials, brand names and strip your testimonials down to one with a link to the others," advised one commenter.

Although removing products from the front page may seem counterintuitive, allowing more space for information about deals and other special offers is actually likely to drive higher revenue.