“AAAHHHHHHH!” Macauley Culkin’s signature scream will resound with any small business owner. It’s part panic, part terror and a little bit “where’s my Mom?” Making a living from your website means remarkable highs and lows. Euphoric moments can turn to tears as you wonder where all your visitors went or what happened to your bloody conversions. Such is the life of the online underdog. You’re up against big sites with beefy content, plenty of staff and cash to spare.

Home Alone gave us the most unlikely victor. His mantra? “This is my house website, I have to defend it.” Follow Macauley and co’s twelve-step programme for website success.

1. Have a back up

“We slept in!” Oh how the McCallisters shrieked to find a power cut had killed their alarm clocks. Oops.

Is your site backed up? Let’s talk worst-case scenarios. Stolen laptops, suicidal computers, over-eager children. If something happens to your site’s files, can you get them back today? Within the hour? Burn a back up copy right now, date it and stash it somewhere safe. Set your computer’s calendar to remind you to make a fresh copy every month from now on.

2. Leave the porch light on

Macauley’s well-lit home deterred Home Alone’s baddies. It looked warm and inviting; familial. Visitors look for “well-lit” sites that assure them, “Yes! We’re here and we’re open for business.” Blogs, news or “this week’s specials” confirm there’s life within.

3. Throw a lively party – or pretend to

Every house on the street was in pitch black: except one. Macauley was throwing a party and, from the outside, it looked like heaps of fun.

If you’re browsing for a product or service, would you pick the party house, or the property in darkness next door? There’s safety in numbers when spending money online. Whether or not it’s currently true, give the impression that your website is hopping. Use a blog and relevant social networking to build a community that’s chatty and inclusive. If appropriate to your product or service, ensure every piece of online communication cries, “I’m having so much fun, why aren’t you here!?” People hate missing out.

4. You might never notice what’s frustrating your visitors

On each of his frequent visits, the Little Nero’s pizza boy knocked over a statue in his way. He’d curse as he slogged through the snow to pick it up. Inside, Macauley and family never noticed this major annoyance.

You’re a conscientious website owner who ran extensive and objective tests before launching your site, right? Has your site changed much since then? Have your competitors’? If so, run another test. Include teenagers and senior citizens. Whether or not they’re in your target audience, they’re two groups who can be counted on for the cold, hard truth.

Next: Part 2 & Part 3

Tags: small business, web content, web development