Building a website isn’t enough – in order to bring in business, you need to create a site that will actually get noticed. In an ecosystem of millions of websites, this can seem a daunting prospect. But remember that you don’t need to compete against every website in the world, only against a smaller number of sites that are in your niche. Here are some basic guidelines for getting your website noticed.
Graphic design
When designing your website, you need to choose a graphic design that reflects your brand and that you connect with. You should love the look of your website and not be convinced by a designer, developer or business consultant that you should like what they recommend. The site should be easy to use and intuitive for the customer, in addition to being aesthetically pleasing. There is no particular design that will appeal specifically to an Israeli audience, so just go with what looks right to you.
Keyword research
Spend some time using a keyword research tool such as Google Ads Keyword Planner to find the phrases that are being used to search for information about your niche in Israel. For businesses that serve both Israelis and English speakers, don’t forget to search for keywords in both English and Hebrew. Also look for Hebrew words spelled in English, since anglos in Israel often use Hebrew terms but type more quickly in English. They may also search for phrases in a mixture of languages, such as “how to collect avtala.”
Once you have a comprehensive list of keywords, see how you can integrate them into your website text in a natural way. Don’t overstuff your content with keywords though. You don’t even have to use all the keywords on your main website pages. You can keep this list handy as you add blog posts to your site over time and use keywords gradually.
Search engine optimization
In addition to using keywords in the body of your text, insert them into image file names, titles and alt texts. Write page titles and meta descriptions that grab readers’ interest and keep them to the required length – 50-60 characters for titles and 120-155 characters for meta descriptions. Small businesses don’t need to invest in professional SEO, but sticking to the basic guidelines of best practices will go a long way in getting your site noticed.
Social media marketing
Once your site is live, you are far from done with getting it noticed. Post about your business on social media and link back to the website where relevant. Publish blog posts and put links to them on your social media channels. When someone on social media asks a question that you have answered on your website or blog, include a link in your answer. The Israeli social media scene, and especially the Anglo-Israeli social media scene, is pretty small, so consistently posting and interacting in a positive way can make your brand famous in the right circles.
Pay per click advertising (PPC)
If you’re not getting enough organic traffic to your website, you can experiment with pay per click advertising on social media or through Google Ads. You control the budget so it can be affordable even for a small business. One disadvantage is that targeting is not very precise and there are so many niche communities in Israel that you are generally not able to control who sees your ads. Even when you choose a city, your ads are likely to be shown to people living not far from that city who are totally not relevant leads. Experiment with a small budget and see if the ads bring you ROI (return on investment) before investing significant sums.
Tweak as you go
The difference between print and web is that you don’t ever have to finalize your website. You can make changes as you discover what works and what doesn’t or as you expand or shift your business. You can start with a website in English and add Hebrew later on, or you can focus your marketing on clients in Israeli and add a section for clients overseas when you decide to serve them as well. Tweak your website as you better understand your target market and continue to tweak as you refine your business and fill new needs.