Your website can be a powerful tool for business growth, but like any tool, you have to know how to use it well. To help optimize your web presence for best results, here’s a quick list of tips and best practices that can make a big difference in your online visibility and website effectiveness.

1.) Set up a free Google Business Profile. A Google Business Profile is a free listing that allows potential customers to easily find and connect with you when searching in Google or Google Maps. Your listing appears whenever someone searches for your business by name or—even more importantly—by the type of services you provide. Each listing includes a location, phone number, hours, years in business and customer reviews, as well as links to the business website and its location on a map.

2.) Encourage reviews. Reviews are an important part of the decision-making process, especially for customers who are using your painting or contracting service for the first time. Think of your reviews as digital word of mouth and encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews. This will help you earn a high star rating and stand out among similar businesses.

3.) Optimize your site for search. Search engine optimization (SEO), which is improving your site to increase its visibility in searches, is based on two factors: the services you offer and how your prospects search for those services. The words people use most often to search for businesses like yours are called keywords, and some keywords are more popular than others. To optimize your website and have your business appear favorably in search results, sprinkle the right keywords throughout your website. A good rule of thumb is to include the keyword for each web page in the title of the page, in the first sentence and once every 100 words.

4.) Get to the point on your homepage. Your homepage is frequently the first impression a prospect gets of your company. That’s why it is important to show who you are, what services you offer and the areas you serve as quickly as possible, so visitors know instantly if they are in the right place for their needs.

5.) Include customer testimonials and a project gallery. You can tell your prospects about your professional skills, experience and credentials, but nothing is more powerful than showing evidence of your expertise through photos, videos and customer testimonials. Reviews, testimonials and project galleries add credibility and build trust in your business.

6.) Make it easy to take action. Don’t bury your phone number in the footer or on a Contact Us page. Make sure it is prominently displayed in a consistent design and location on every page—ideally in the site header. Also be sure to give visual prominence to points of action on a page, such as emailing or calling you; these should appear as highly visible buttons, rather than hyperlinks within paragraphs.

7.) Don’t forget to optimize for mobile. It’s likely that at least half of your website visitors are using mobile devices when they first engage with you, so make sure you test your website for user-friendliness and functionality on a smartphone and a tablet.

It’s natural to feel overwhelmed by all the advice available for creating and maintaining a strong web presence. Decide what works best for you and remember that simplicity and clarity are always good choices.

Ashley Luke is a Senior Product Manager, Shurtape Technologies, LLC, parent company of T-Rex^® Brand