The KANSO Creative Blog | Tips, Strategy & Brand Growth

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What Small Businesses Can Do to Look (and Feel) More Legit

And no—it doesn’t mean spending a fortune.

Let’s be honest:
Most small businesses don’t have huge budgets.
But you do have something powerful—visibility.

The question is:
Are you using design to maximize that visibility, or are you unintentionally shrinking your impact?

Engagement is Down? It Might Be Your Brand Voice

Why your content isn’t connecting—and how to fix it.

Spoiler: It’s not always the algorithm’s fault. Let’s talk about a common frustration we hear all the time:

"I'm showing up consistently. I'm posting regularly. But my engagement is down... what gives?"

First, take a deep breath. It might not be your content.
It might just be your brand voice—and how you're using it.

Is Your Website a Sales Tool or Just an Online Brochure?

Let’s make sure your digital front door isn’t just decorative.

A good website looks nice.
A great website works hard.
At the KANSO creative, we meet a lot of small business owners who invested in a website years ago—but haven’t touched it since. It might have your logo, hours, and a few pretty pictures, but here’s the real question:

Is it doing anything to attract, educate, and convert your ideal clients?

Accessible SEO for Growing Businesses

What is Organic SEO?

You’ve probably heard the term tossed around, but what does organic SEO actually mean? (And no, it’s not about farming your own keywords.) It’s the secret sauce behind showing up on Google without paying for ads—and it might just be the most powerful marketing move your business isn’t using yet.

Ready to stop chasing algorithms and start attracting real people?
Let’s break it down.

Why Your Business Needs Both a Website and Social Media

Stop choosing between the two.

If you’ve ever thought, “I’ve got Facebook, so I’m covered,” you’re not alone—but you might be leaving money on the table.

How to Choose the Perfect Domain Name for Your Business

And Why It Matters

Your domain name isn’t just your website address—it’s the front door to your online home. It’s how people find you, remember you, and decide if they trust you. Choosing the right domain sets the tone for your brand and helps your audience take you seriously from the start.

Whether you’re launching a new business or refreshing your online presence, here are some simple, no-fluff tips to help you choose the right domain name.

The One Thing Every Business Needs to Succeed Online

How to Grow Your Business Online

Your website isn’t just an online placeholder—it’s your digital storefront, your first impression, and your most powerful marketing tool. But if your site is outdated, slow, or buried in search results, it could be costing you business every single day.

Think about it:
✅ 80% of customers visit a business website before making a decision
✅ 75% of people judge a business’s credibility based on its website
✅ The first five results on Google get 67% of all clicks

If your website isn’t optimized and ranking well, you’re losing customers before you even get a chance to talk to them.

Social Media Strategy 101:

How to Grow Your Business Online

In today’s digital world, having a strong social media presence is essential for growing your business. But simply posting isn’t enough—you need a strategy that drives engagement, builds relationships, and converts followers into customers.

Here’s a simple breakdown of how to get the most out of your social media efforts. . .

5 Website Must-Haves

Convert Visitors into Customers

Your website is more than just a digital business card—it’s a tool that should work for you 24/7, turning visitors into paying customers. But if your site is missing key elements, you could be losing valuable leads. Here are five essential features every small business website needs to maximize conversions.

The Power of a Strong Brand

How to Make Your Business Stand Out

Your brand is the foundation of your business—it’s how customers recognize you, trust you, and decide to do business with you. But branding goes far beyond a logo or color scheme. It’s about creating a consistent and memorable experience that sets you apart from competitors and keeps customers coming back. If your brand isn’t working for you, it might be time to refine your message, visuals, and strategy. Let’s break down how to build a brand that not only stands out but also drives real business growth.

A strong brand sets you apart, builds trust, and keeps customers coming back. Here’s how to make sure your brand works for you, not against you.

SEO 101:

How to Rank Higher and Get More Customers

If your business isn’t showing up on Google, you’re losing customers to your competitors—period. In today’s digital world, search engine optimization (SEO) isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity. Whether you're a local business looking to attract customers in your area or an online brand trying to scale, SEO helps you increase visibility, build trust, and drive more traffic to your website.

At the KANSO creative, we specialize in helping businesses just like yours rank higher on search engines, get found by the right customers, and ultimately, grow. Here’s a breakdown of how SEO works and how you can start improving your rankings today.

WHY TELLING YOUR STORY MATTERS

Your Story is your Businesses Secret Weapon

At the KANSO creative, we know storytelling is the heartbeat of every successful brand. In today’s digital world, your story connects your business to your audience, building trust and driving growth. Here’s how storytelling can transform your business and how to craft your narrative with impact.

Read on to learn the 8 steps in telling your story.

MASTERING SMALL BUSINESS MARKETING

A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO BUILDING AN EFFECTIVE PLAN

At the KANSO Creative, we believe every small business needs a focused, thoughtful marketing plan that highlights its brand, builds loyalty, and grows market share. Here are some essential steps to get started.

Marketing campaigns don’t just happen in a vacuum — they should be part of a broad, holistic strategy that works together. Developing a marketing plan is essential to ensure consistent, effective messaging across all marketing channels. From identifying your target audience to fine-tuning your marketing campaigns, a marketing plan serves as guidance to help you succeed.

Read on to learn more about how to develop a marketing plan for your small business.

WHAT IS SEO?

How does it help my Small Business?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of improving your website to increase its visibility on search engines like Google. When potential customers search for products or services that relate to your business, SEO helps ensure your website appears higher in the search results, making it easier for customers to find you.

Here are 6 ways SEO is important for your Small Business:

HOW TO UTILIZE S.M.A.R.T. GOALS

TO HELP GROW YOUR SMALL BUSINESS

Without concrete goals, you are essentially shooting in the dark trying to improve. S.M.A.R.T. goals are useful because they contain five aspects that help you focus and reevaluate goals as needed. This framework can be helpful for any business trying to practice effective project management.

Let’s explore what S.M.A.R.T. goals are and how they can help your business.

5 WAYS A WEBSITE

CAN HELP GROW YOUR SMALL BUSINESS

In today's digital world, having a website is no longer just an advantage for small businesses—it's a necessity. It acts as your business's virtual storefront, available to customers at any time of day. Your website is often the first impression potential customers have of your business, making it a critical tool for driving growth, building credibility, and expanding your reach. By offering essential information, a platform for communication, and opportunities for online sales, a well-designed website can significantly boost your business.

Here are five ways a website can help your small business grow:

WHY YOUR BUSINESS

NEEDS A LOGO

When you’re focused on building your business, it’s easy to push a logo down the priority list.

You might even catch yourself thinking, “Do I really need a logo?”

Here’s the truth: Yes, you do. A logo is not just a symbol; it’s a powerful tool that can help shape the future success of your brand. Alongside offering quality products and building a strong reputation, having a professionally designed logo is a key part of your business strategy.

Why? . . .

5 MARKETING STRATEGIES

FOR THE HOLIDAYS

As a design and marketing firm for small businesses like yours, we know the holiday season is critical for boosting sales. Early, strategic preparation is key to standing out in a highly competitive market. In 2023, holiday sales hit $964.4 billion.

By tapping into this lucrative season, your small business can attract new customers and achieve its best holiday sales yet. Here’s 5 Marketing Strategies you can implement.. . .

Why a Facebook Page is Not
a Substitute for a Website

When it comes to promoting and representing your small business online, it's important to have a strong, professional presence. Many businesses today turn to social media platforms, like Facebook, to create that presence. However, using a Facebook page as your primary or only online presence can be a huge mistake. In this article, we'll go over the top ten reasons why using a Facebook page as your business website is a bad idea, and explore some alternative options for promoting your business online.

8 Things Every
Small Business Website Needs

If you run a small business, no matter what it is that you do, or where you’re located, you need a website. Small business websites are crucial for online visibility, branding, and driving sales, but only if you've got good web design.

To make a high-quality website for your business, you need to know what core features to include. This post will discuss some of the most essential elements that should always be at the forefront of your small business website design.

Whether you’re launching your first small business website or going through a rebrand, your website has to be perfect. Keep reading and we'll show you how to make it happen.

Why DIY Site Builders
are Bad for Small Businesses

Do you need to build a website for your small business and are considering building one yourself?

If you don't yet have one, building a small business website is very important. Unfortunately, many people think that it's something that they can build on their own. Only after making a low-quality website do they realize that they would have been better off leaving it to the professionals.

If you want to find out why building a DIY website is a bad idea for your small business, read on and we'll tell you what you need to know.

Why Reputation Management
and Online Reviews Are Important in Business

Does your company have a great reputation among consumers? If it doesn't, it could be hurting your business even more than you might realize.

One recent report suggested that a company's reputation can account for more than 60% of its total value. As a result, your business might not be worth as much as it would be worth otherwise simply because of its reputation.

How To Respond to Online Reviews
(Good and Bad)

93% of surveyed shoppers make buying decisions based on online reviews. That's a huge percentage! If you run a business, your reviews are vital to your success.

You need to have a reputation management strategy in place and you need to know what to do when good or bad reviews start popping up. Let's talk about it! Read on to learn all about responding to online reviews (good and bad).

9 Common Website Traffic Stats Explained

There are over 5.07 billion daily Internet users in the world, so there's a large base of potential customers you can reach with your website. But before you can tap into that potential, you need to know whether your website is capable of attracting those visitors. Your website traffic stats are a good place to start.

But these metrics are only useful if you know how to interpret them. Read on for a breakdown of the most important website traffic stats and what they mean for your business.

7 Reasons Why
Small Business Websites Are Vital

A website is a vital component to a small businesses’ success. However not any website will do. About one in five small business websites struggle to generate traffic to their website. Meanwhile, 57% of users won't recommend a company with a poor mobile web design. If your website doesn't offer a positive experience, you could lose potential customers.

On the fence about investing in your business website this year? Read on to discover the top 7 reasons why a strong website is beneficial to your company's success today!

8 Marketing Mistakes
Small Businesses Make

According to a recent survey, about half of all American small businesses lack a solid marketing plan. Not having a plan in place is one of the biggest marketing mistakes that any small business can make.

If you're not marketing your business enough at this time, it could eventually lead to its demise. You're going to struggle to spread the word about your company without using small business marketing to your advantage.

There are also some other marketing mistakes that you might be making as a small business owner that can come back to bite you. Learn about eight of them below.

How Often Should You Redesign Your Website?

A recent study found that 50% of consumers believe that website design is a fundamental factor in a business’s brand. Website design showcases your business’s style, attitude, and aesthetic.

However, small business websites aren’t forever. They need to be updated and redesigned just like any part of your business.

3 SIMPLE WAYS

TO GROW YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWING

With so many social media channels available, you can’t be everywhere all the time to market your brand. Today, it’s about . . .

7 Signs You Need a Website
For Your Businesses

The first and oldest web domain on the internet is symbolics.com, founded in 1985. And even they updated their look and feel to keep up with modern search and user trends.

Web design might sometimes seem like an unnecessary expense for some small business owners. In fact, it's quite the opposite. User habits and Google search algorithms change regularly. You're missing out on valuable traffic (and potential customers) if you're not consistently modernizing your website.

Read on to see if they apply to you!