{"id":21993,"date":"2019-06-04T08:16:36","date_gmt":"2019-06-04T13:16:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/?p=21993"},"modified":"2019-05-09T05:55:11","modified_gmt":"2019-05-09T10:55:11","slug":"small-business-website-make-money","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/small-business-website-make-money\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Ways to Make Money With Your Small Business Website"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You\u2019ve finally got a website for your business<\/a>, because you know it\u2019s the key to getting found by new customers who start most of their searches online. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But your website can do more than raise your visibility in search results. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can also provide another revenue stream for your business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether you sell physical goods in a brick-and-mortar location, provide in-person services to a local market, run a restaurant, or offer your freelance expertise online, there are ways you can make your website work harder for you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One or more of these options may be just right for your small business site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1. Build an Online Store<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you have a brick-and-mortar retail shop, selling your products online<\/a> is an obvious choice to expand your market, but other businesses can benefit from having an online store, too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Own a coffee shop or bakery? You can offer your branded merch (t-shirts, mugs) online along with special coffee blends or cakes and gift baskets. And any type of business can offer gift certificates online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No physical products? No problem. If what you sell is expertise, consider putting some of it into e-books<\/a> on topics that matter to your clientele, and sell them in your online shop. (We\u2019ll talk more about expertise in a moment.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Setting up an online store is easier than you may think. Gator Website Builder\u2019s eCommerce plan<\/a> gives you the templates and drag-and-drop tools you need to set up shop online fast. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The eCommerce plan supports HD video and audio so you can create compelling product videos, and you get tools to manage your inventory, calculate shipping and sales tax, and offer coupons to your customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Let Customers Book Appointments Online<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Worldwide access to global knowledge is great, but I think the real benefit of the internet is being able to book appointments without a phone conversation between two harried people who toss out days and times until one works. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Setting up appointments online is easier for everyone-your receptionist can focus on other tasks, and your customers don\u2019t get stuck on hold. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Online booking also lets customers reserve a spot whenever they\u2019re ready, instead of having to wait for office hours to make a call. When you make people wait, they sometimes forget-or find a competitor who lets them book online, so you lose out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can add booking capability to your WordPress website with a plugin. One of the most popular is Booking Calendar<\/a>, which lets you customize the fields customers will fill in, notifies you of new booking requests, and stores all your booking information in a single database so you don\u2019t have to toggle back and forth to manage your client list and appointments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n