Big Websites for Small Businesses

A well-optimized website helps people find your business online and makes it easy for them to use your site. If your website is slow, confusing, or hard to find on the internet, potential customers may leave and choose a competitor instead. An optimized website has four ingredients. It...: 1. works well on mobile devices Most people browse the internet on their phones and search engines like Google rank mobile-friendly websites higher. Your website should: Load quickly Adjust to different screen sizes (responsive design) Be easy to navigate on a touchscreen 2. is safe and accessible Security: A secure website (starts with HTTPS) protects visitors from hackers. If your site isn’t secure, Google may warn users before they enter. Accessibility: Some visitors have disabilities. Your website should have clear text, readable colors, and descriptions for images so everyone can use it. 3. has high-quality content Search engines rank websites that provide useful, original, and trustworthy content higher. To improve your ranking: Share accurate and helpful information Avoid copying content from other websites Keep your site updated 4. is optimized for search engines SEO (Search Engine Optimization) helps your website show up in search results on search engines. It involves: Using the right keywords (e.g., "wedding planner in Bolzano" instead of just "wedding planner" because people who want to get married in Bolzano will likely be more interested in local wedding planners) Writing clear page descriptions so people know what your site is about Organizing your content well so search engines can understand it Why does it all matter? A well-optimized website attracts more visitors and turns them into customers. Investing in SEO helps your business grow by making it easier for people to find and trust you online. Taken together, this translates into bigger profits.

A website with responsive design is built to function seamlessly on any device, whether it’s a mobile phone, tablet like an iPad, or desktop computer. This design "responds" to the visitor's device, ensuring your website maintains a consistent appearance across all platforms. Responsive design is the modern standard for website creation, providing users with a unified, polished browsing experience across devices.

When it comes to creating websites for small businesses, AI delivers powerful tools to adapt existing content and to create entirely new ideas. AI tools can generate or improve text ideas and create or adapt additional content ranging from images, logos to videos. There have been vast improvements in AI technology in recent years: ChatGPT is ubiquitous, image generators are incorporated in almost all content platforms, and even video generators are becoming more mainstream. For a comprehensive overview on AI-tools, have a look at "Discover the AI Revolution: Unveiling 120 Mind-Blowing AI Tools Defining the Future!" Usually the best results are generated by users who know how to write good prompts and have a subscription plan. In the following FAQ, you will find examples of how these AI tools work for text, images, and videos. Regarding AI tools, there are highly controversial and legally ongoing debates on the topic of copyright infringement, especially in the use of generative AI for images. If you are interested in exploring this further, check out this article by the Harvard Business Review on generative AI. Please note that the use of AI for websites is completely optional and great websites can certainly do without the support of any AI. If AI is used by me in the creation of content, it is always without the risk of copyright infringement.

In the last few years, there have been huge advancements in the ways AI tools support users in various tasks. One of the most successful and undisputed areas is text creation, where ChatGPT is probably best known. Let's imagine you are interested in the latest trends in modern art and the characteristics of potential buyers in that area. The result of prompting ChatGPT to write a short description on this topic is: Recent trends in modern art for high-end collectors include an emphasis on sustainability, the integration of new media and technology, a revival of abstract and expressive styles, and art that addresses social and political themes with a multicultural influence. Key factors for this audience are authenticity, craftsmanship, the artist’s reputation, potential for appreciation in value, and the uniqueness of the piece. Buyers seek art that reflects the artist’s true vision, crafted with high-quality materials by well-established artists. They also value the exclusivity and personal connection the artwork brings, while considering its potential as a long-term investment and a statement of their personal taste and lifestyle. As you can see, ChatGPT provides a solid foundation of text ideas to build on. Of course, your personal expertise and human editing are still essential to making the content truly reflect your unique style.

Currently, there are many AI image generators available from different companies. In general you need two ingredients to create good results: The ability to write precise prompts and usually some type of subscription. A good overview of AI image generator results can be found here. Below you can see results generated by two different AI image generators for a black helicopter in front of a modern villa during sunset. Depending on the AI generator being used, the result is either a generic looking AI image or a realistic photograph.

AI video tools for websites are increasingly becoming accessible to a broader audience. Just as in the case of AI image creation, a subscription and the ability to write good prompts are of central importance. Here is an AI generated video of a woman sitting in a cafe:

If you, like me, live in a multilingual region such as Bolzano, Italy—where many people speak Italian, German, Ladin, and English—you have the opportunity to reach diverse customer groups with different language backgrounds. Or maybe you need an international website because your business offers worldwide services. In both cases, it’s a smart strategy to reflect different languages on your website. Doing so not only increases your visibility in search engines but also drives both online and real-world traffic to your business. Additionally, incorporating SEO for each language version of your site is beneficial, as search engines tend to rank multilingual content more favorably.