The holidays are over and a new year has begun. I think we all know what that means… it's about time to hold ourselves accountable for those resolutions that we pinky-swore to over our 3rd mug of nog. Have no clue where to even begin? Here are the five best New Year's resolution ideas for small business owners looking to step up their game in the months ahead:

1. Make sure your website content is the best it can be.

Your company's website is your digital storefront, and you should treat it with as much care as you would a brick and mortar store location. You wouldn't settle for errors in your store signage, so why tolerate them in your web content writing? Take an objective look at your existing website -- are there calls to action included in the copy? Are relevant SEO keywords integrated when possible, so search engines can find you? Think of your web content writing as your sales pitch to clients and customers. Would you make a purchase from your website?

2. Jump on the social media marketing bandwagon.

Simply put, social media marketing isn't going anywhere. In fact, companies are allocating more and more funds for marketing with Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. If you're not active in the space, you're missing out on opportunities your competition is probably taking advantage of. If you don't have the time to dedicate to social media marketing yourself, you might want to consider hiring a social media management company to step in. It's well worth the money, and can provide a great ROI.

3. Concentrate on getting backlinks.

One of the easiest ways to increase your search engine ranking is to have other websites link to yours, creating backlinks that tells Google your content is relevant enough for people to want to share. Need help getting started? Check out our blog post on how to get backlinks.

4. Become your own online PR agency.

You don't have to hire an expert to get great web PR, you can also do it yourself. It may take a little time and creativity, the but the increase in site traffic (and additional purchases) make it well worth the effort. Working as your own online PR agency may sound intimidating, but it's something anyone can master with enough practice -- this DIY web PR guide.

5. Start your own blog (and update it frequently).

Every business with a website should have a blog. It's the easiest way to put fresh content on the site, and it provides a steady stream of new info to promote while social media marketing. Plus, you can incorporate SEO keywords into the web content writing, which will make you more search engine friendly over time. If you don't have time to write or don't have the skill necessary to write engaging content, there are tons of SEO article writing services you can turn to for help.

You can even start the new year right with content strategy and SEO training. Check out our free webinar on common SEO mistakes, and enroll in our online SEO course today!

Did we leave any out that you think are important? If so, feel free to let us know in the comments!

Header Photo by Waewkidja on Freepik

By Kari DePhillips

Online PR agency, social media marketing, Web content writing, web PR

{"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}