Nearly everyone has a website for their business these days. It’s rare to meet someone who doesn’t own one, or perhaps they haven’t heard of Facebook and Twitter yet. It’s so rare, in fact, that sometimes you can’t help but wonder whether it’s worth having a website if Johnny from down the street has one for a business similar to your own, with similar services or products.

If you want your website to stand out compared to Johnny’s website, this article is a good starting point. Here’s how you can try to stand out against the massive sea of competition.

Tip 1: Take a Closer Look

If you haven’t already done so, take a closer look at the traffic compared to Johnny’s – if you’re getting less visitors, there’s likely a good reason why. Ask yourself the following questions while doing so:

  • Am I fulfilling my customer’s needs?
  • Does my website look good?
  • Is my content meaningful and worth looking at?
  • Is there something my customers aren’t getting from my website?
  • What does Johnny have on his website that I don’t have?

There are a lot more questions you ought to ask yourself in this tip, but these are the top ones to consider. If there’s even one question where your answer is “no”, it’s time to address and fix that issue pronto. You should also take a good look at your competitors’ websites – not just Johnny’s, maybe Jim from the next street over has a business much like yours too – and see what they’re doing well versus not so well. If there’s something you’re fulfilling that your competition isn’t, use that to your company’s advantage.

Tip 2: Think Like a Webmaster

While it always helps to re-optimize your website when necessary, and it’s important to apply white-hat SEO solutions to your website any day of the week, if you really want it to stand out it’s important to think like a webmaster. The main difference is that the best ones think about their websites like this:

  • What do my customers really need/want?
  • How can I make my website better for my customers?
  • I will continue to work on my website until I know for certain it’s better than others in my field
  • I will look at my website today and figure out what can be improved

Less like this:

  • How many times should I insert a keyword?
  • How many words should go on this page?
  • What’s the latest SEO tactic I can use? (This is a black hat concept for sure!)
  • How many links am I adding to my website?

When you’re done approaching your website in this manner, make improvements to it based on the answers to the former questions.

Tip 3: Try to Have Fun

Some of the best websites I’ve visited come from owners who really love what they’re doing for a living. Their passion is all too clear in the way their web content and tone of voice is presented and framed. Having a clean, polished design and catering to all sorts of needs for the desired target audience, not just focusing on one demographic or relying on cheap tricks to get clicks, can work wonders for your website and business.

See if you can inject a little fun into your content to really get your message across. This doesn’t mean adding an exclamation mark at the end of every single sentence you write, so much as do little things like the following:

  • Write humorous posts that have to do with your industry – this can create a unique perspective on the situation (note that they should be in good taste).
  • Being active on social media – adding humorous posts work here too!
  • Responding to positive reviews and comments – everyone loves to hear “Thank you” no matter what the occasion.

Following one or more of these tips will lead you in the right direction of standing out above the competition. If you’re still having trouble, then maybe a professional’s touch will help to do the trick. And if that’s the case, contact us at V3 Media. We can give you some expert feedback on how to improve your website at no cost.