Holiday season is already here and it seems like Halloween was yesterday. It is time to decorate the Christmas tree and get into the holiday spirit. As an entrepreneur, you have both private and business aspects of decorating to do. While you are at it, there are other improvements you could make and kill two birds with one stone. In that respect, here are some things you can take care of this holiday season.
Do a UI makeover
You can use this time to take your current website design and just put ornaments on it, much like you would on a tree. However, you could also be smart and use the time you would have spent decorating anyway, add some more effort and a bit more time and change the whole user interface. Perhaps it seems like an overkill, when it is actually a solid investment. Since it is winter, you might want to consider using white and different shades of blue to simulate a winter theme or anything you like, really. However, make sure to make the design in a way that it can continue to exist even without the Christmassy details. After the holidays are over, simply put down the decorations from your website and you will be left with a new UI for your users to enjoy.
Special attention should for the home page
Your homepage is the cherry on top of the cake or the star on top of the Christmass tree. Its role is to be majestic and motivate users to dig deeper into the website. This means you should put your finest decorations here and do your best to depict a Christmass spirit. On the other hand, try not to take it too far and repel your potential customers. Don’t exaggerate, sometimes less is more and a bit of subtlety is what you need to make the perfect home page. Do some research to get inspiration, think it over a bit and do your magic. Hopefully, the customers will enjoy the results of your work.
Use whitespaces to organize content
While we are on the subject of your website, it is not just the looks that counts. You have to comb through all the texts, revise and reshape them to fit the new philosophy. You should have short paragraphs where each one is a whole of its own. That way, readers will find it easier to keep track of what they are reading. Moreover, if you add white space between each two paragraphs, it will add clarity to your content and people would be much more eager to read short paragraphs clearly separated than going through a huge tedious text without any structure whatsoever. This work requires time and effort, but it also gives long term results, so it is a worthy investment.
Think big and optimize for the future
Many entrepreneurs worry only about the next few steps that await them in business. This is a solid plan as a compromise as it is clear that nobody can foresee the future and be prepared for anything that may come their way. However, there are things that should be kept in mind that are in regards to the future of one’s business. For instance, responsive web design is something every business owner needs to think of ahead. Failure to do so can lead to catastrophic consequences. Once your website reaches a certain level of popularity, it will come to a breaking point where it cannot handle such a large number of simultaneous users. Once these users experience a lagging website or one that simply breaks, they would probably never forgive such an event. Therefore, in order to prevent this catastrophe, all you need to do is take care of the issue before it actually happens. That means you are not too late yet and the time to act is now.
Form a test group to help you get feedback
Have you ever thought about the best way to get feedback? Sure, there are surveys and various feedback forms for users, but it is all a bit too tedious for both answering and analyzing. On the other hand, hiring a control group that will be a permanent part of your enterprise is a great way to get immediate feedback whenever you need it. This is a great asset for launching new features and sunsetting old ones. Whenever you are in doubt of whether you are making the right decision, your test group will be there to help you decide. Of course, there is only one tricky part here and that is choosing the members of the group. You need to work hard in order to simulate a random sample of your preferred target audience. Maybe even hire a psychologist or use your HR service to help you when choosing. It is a delicate task and everything else depends heavily on it.
Leave room for a special something
If you don’t already have something unique regarding your SMB that sets you apart from all others in your domain, it is high time you invented it. This is easier said than done, but it should at least be in your head for starters. If you are uncertain of where to start, do your research on other businesses in the market and see what their special somethings are. After that, take time to contemplate your life and your story. Surely, there is something special about you and your business. If you can’t find it right away, do not worry, it will come to you over time.
All in all, hopefully we gave you some ideas on how to turn your Christmass decorating into a bit of a project that is long lasting. There is more work to be done, that is true, but the gain is much larger, as well. When others will be stuck upgrading their UI right after the holidays, you will be able to relax and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Author Byline: Liam Collins is a tech pundit and Web enthusiast working at TuiSpace.com. He spends most of his time reading and writing about the current affairs in the world of information technology. When he isn’t working, he likes going for long bike rides and walks in nature.
