What do you think of when someone says the words “online business”? The chances are your first thoughts will be of modern retail giants such as Amazon and eBay. However, for each of these huge firms there are hundreds, if not thousands, of smaller businesses carving out their own success stories and for them a strong online presence is as vital as it is for their larger counterparts.

One such company is Nottingham-based driving school Red Amber Go. Owner Steve Walker wasn’t slow to embrace the internet as a way to drum up more business, but recently he realised that in order to stay ahead of the competition he needed to up his game. To achieve this goal, he teamed up with 123-reg’s Online Experts so he could use their Make Me a Website service.

Covering the business website essentials

Steve explained why he opted for 123-reg: “Choosing Make Me a Website was an easy decision. I had used the Website Builder before, but I needed a professional looking website up and running quickly. I did have a website with a local company and had paid approximately £700 to have the website created and then a monthly hosting fee. With 123-reg there were no up-front costs for creating the site, only a monthly cost which made it cheaper and the quality of the website was much better.”

Of course, Steve’s goals are in some ways very different from those of online business giants such as Amazon – Red Amber Go simply doesn’t need millions of website visitors and it’s never going to sell thousands of different products at once. But businesses like Steve’s still need a place where they can show potential customers what they have to offer. In the past that might have been the phonebook, but in 2015 that place is a website.

“It’s early days yet, but people are already finding me on the internet and a professional website certainly helps bring in the business. It’s my shop window and therefore it’s important that the website reflects the professional image of my business,” Steve said.

The Red Amber Go website isn’t big and it isn’t complex – but it does do everything it needs to. It provides visitors with everything they need to know about the company – from basic “about us” information to special offers and testimonials from past customers. There’s also that all important contact form, which allows Steve to generate leads via the website, leads which he can then nurture into paying customers.

A website for now and tomorrow

However, like all successful business owners Steve also has one eye on the future and he knows that it’s important for online businesses to have a website that not only looks good, but performs well on different devices.

“The ability for the website to display correctly on computers, tablets and mobile devices is important. Many of the people looking for driving tuition will probably be doing so on their mobiles and the website has to make an instant impact or they will look elsewhere. That was the next step for the website and one I’m pleased to say was remarkably easy with 123-reg,” Steve said.

And Steve is right about the importance of mobile – in 2014 52% of visits to retail sites were from mobile devices, and given the fact a driving school will attract a younger demographic, a group more likely to use smartphones than desktops, it’s even more crucial for Red Amber Go to have a mobile site.

But what about the ultimate test for a service? Would Steve recommend 123-reg to others?

“I’ve already recommended 123-reg to other people, from riding schools to a cartoonist, and will continue to recommend them. I particularly like the support service, having used this a few times and found them very helpful, informative and my queries are always resolved quickly,” he said.

If you’d like the 123-reg Online Experts to breathe new life into your business website then contact them on 0333 014 4550, or fill out the contact form on this page.