Many owners struggle with marketing. They post consistently, boost ads, and update their websites. Yet growth feels inconsistent. The issue is rarely effort. The issue is direction.
If you want a stronger marketing strategy for small business growth, start with one question:
What does our brand need right now to grow?
This question clarifies priorities. It aligns your message. It turns random marketing into strategic action. Without it, even good tactics fail.
Marketing is no longer a department you visit when something needs polishing. In 2026, marketing becomes the plush, well-crafted leather sofa in the center of your business—a place where your brand’s identity, customer trust, and long-term growth settle in and get comfortable. And today, that sofa is unmistakably digital. Small and mid-sized businesses win when they understand their customers, communicate with clarity, and build trust at every online touchpoint. Smart, strategic digital marketing is no longer optional; it’s the foundation that supports visibility, credibility, and conversions. Brands that ignore it will feel like they’re sitting on a rickety folding chair while competitors relax on something far sturdier. Businesses that weave digital marketing into their daily operations will scale smarter, faster, and with far greater resilience.
Digital advertising is one of the most effective ways small to mid-size businesses can grow in today’s competitive market. With advanced targeting options and measurable results, digital ads give businesses the tools they need to reach the right customers at the right time.
Blogging helps your business grow by increasing online visibility and attracting new customers. Each blog is a fresh opportunity to be discovered. Consistent, strategic content keeps your brand top of mind and builds lasting customer trust.
Whether launching a new start-up or refreshing an existing brand, innovative marketing strategies are key to standing out. The fast-paced digital landscape requires adaptability and creativity to connect with audiences effectively. These ten marketing tips will help you market your brand, foster customer loyalty, and stay ahead of the competition in 2025.
For over 24 years, Bear Web Design has been a trusted partner in website management, offering a comprehensive suite of services, starting with website design and development and continuing with ongoing updates, rebranding efforts, and integrating new products and services. Our approach to managing and hosting websites ensures long-term success for our clients, positioning us as a valuable extension of their team—a permanent webmaster and designer ready to be your partner in growth.
Recently I had a prospect ask me to focus (almost exclusively) on improving their Google Search Engine positioning based on key words. The belief of the prospect was that you can manipulate results on Google easily and quickly. Regardless of your website (and its design), this methodology (known as Search Engine Optimization) could be implemented very easily. So, what is Google AdWords?
When you think about your website you may have the “misconception” that everyone who visits your website will generally enter thru the home page. It is important to focus on landing pages
When you consider search links from specific pages (based on topic searches) and marketing landing pages it is possible that people may be coming to your website from a variety of what is known as “Landing Pages”.
When we design a client’s website – we always focus on our key action items being easily accessed and prominent on the home page. I have no doubt the home page is usually most trafficked entry point BUT – lets say you are running a special or you have a specific area of you business (or many areas that may require some more custom information). If you can get a visitor to land directly on this page and they like what the see – you can still get a result you want from your client. One of the biggest reasons for these landing pages is the behavior of web visitors. Generally people will come to your site and leave very quickly – so you want to get visitors to their area of interest – VERY QUICKLY!
I had mentioned the search engine (a user searches for a keyword or key phrase and the search engine matches a specific page on your website that has the key search information). To elaborate on this – you may have a page on your website titled “Gladeville Web Design” – and then you may also have the words appearing in the page several times – repeating Gladeville Web Design.
A person goes to google and types the keywords “Gladeville Web Design” – and a link to your webpage appears as a result. The link takes you straight to the specific Web Design page. This is a landing page (as the person landed on your website thru this link). Remember not all landing pages are planned – or controlled from your end. So having an incomplete website or poor content that you don’t consider will accessed by visitors will not serve you well when search engines select landing pages based on search criteria.
Advertising campaigns within the website that will have your banner ads linking you directly to a specials page where you can elaborate on your advertisement and get a desired result (a call or inquiry e-mail). This could be both internal advertising – or advertising on another website. This is an area where advertisers make a big mistake in creating a custom ad for their special or product – but link the click-thru to their home page (instead of an elaboration of the advertisement). Quite often the visitor cannot actually find any further information about the ad – and frustrated they leave the website. Advertising landing pages are a very IMPORTANT PART OF ADVERTISING…
Another great use to get folks to key landing pages is domain routing. This is the process where you are actually using a domain name (that is routing to a specific page on your website). Let say we want to run an advertising campaign – that promotes selling Real Estate in the Gladeville area. We acquire the domain name www.gladevillerealestate.com – which will allow for the direct use of the domain name – both thru search engines or a marketing campaign. Of course you may have many areas within your site (for Real Estate) – but we run a specific advertisements promoting Gladeville Real Estate – and our domain name takes you straight there.
Recently when meeting with a group of clients I stated that the client should consider that there are multiple ways people will get to their website – and they will not always enter thru the home page. I could tell this was very eye opening to the clients. It really makes you think of how you can make every page on your website work hard for your. There is no doubt Landing Pages are a great way for web visitors to go to a specific web page (that may satisfy their specific intent).
Keep your mind open when thinking about your website and the way the visitors land on your website. Think creative and flexible and your website will serve you well!
Cheers Mate,
Peter Beare – Webmaster
Peter Beare is CEO of BeareWare, a Website Design & Development Company located just outside of Nashville, Tennessee. Since building his first website for a local sports club in 1998 Peter has been a webmaster. Over the last 10 years Peter’s duties with BeareWare have included website planning, design and development, website marketing and sales, as well as database application programming & project management. But when all is said and done, Peter is still a webmaster and this is “Interview with a Webmaster“.
With Search Engine Optimization being such a hot topic today it is good to actually understand some basic steps in getting your website submitted to key search engines. This by no means guarantees your website will immediately obtain any significant page ranking (position within the search engine) but it is definitely the first steps in the process.
Today most businesses have domain names. Over the last ten years, businesses large and small have recognized the “need” to have a domain name (website name). So, does your company have a domain strategy?