We had the opportunity to present at the Columbus Chamber’s Accelerate Columbus program, which helps small business owners strengthen their operations through workshops on business planning, marketing, finance, and more.
Our workshop focused on SEO, websites, and what small businesses should know to maintain a strong online presence in 2025, including AI. During that presentation, several topics sparked significant interest among business owners, so we wanted to share them with you here.
Whether you’re just starting your site or already working with a Columbus web design partner, these insights can help you take your website to the next level.
Four Website Management Tools You Must Use
Managing a website can be time-consuming and is more than just updating plugins. You also need to monitor performance, uptime, and user behavior. Here are a few essential tools every small business should use to lighten their website management load:
- Microsoft Clarity: This is a free tool that shows you how visitors interact with your website through heatmaps and session recordings. It helps you identify which areas get the most engagement and rage clicks and which parts may need improvement.
- Uptime Robot: Ever checked your site only to realize it’s been down for days or even weeks? Uptime Robot automatically monitors your site and sends an email alert if it ever goes offline.
- Web Crawlers (Moz and SEMrush): These tools let you see how search engines view your website. You can check for technical issues, broken links, and opportunities to improve your SEO performance. They are also much more user-friendly than Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
- Google Analytics: Still one of the best tools for tracking traffic sources, user behavior, and conversions. It’s a must-have for anyone serious about better business through website performance.
Five SEO Tools to Improve Your SEO Game
A solid website management plan includes consistent SEO performance. The key here is to target the right keywords with high intent and meaningful search volume, all while ensuring your web pages are properly indexed. Check out five tools that can help wrangle your SEO:
- Google Ads Keyword Planner: Great for discovering relevant keywords and search trends. Use your findings to build out a content plan.
- Moz or SEMrush: Ideal for tracking rankings and monitoring competitors. Identify keyword opportunity gaps and attack them.
- PageSpeed Insights: Website speed impacts user experience and SEO. This tool helps you identify what’s slowing your site down and areas of improvement.
- Google Business Profile and Bing Places: Keep these profiles up to date to strengthen your local search presence. Maintain a consistent flow of reviews.
- Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools: These platforms show how your site performs in organic search results and indicate technical or indexing issues with your website.
The Golden Rule for 2025 & Beyond
AI is everywhere today, but it’s important to use it responsibly. Search engines have started penalizing sites that rely on AI-generated content, which has flooded the internet over the past year. As a result, the overall search experience has suffered, forcing Google and Bing to rethink their stance on AI.
We recommend avoiding word-for-word copying or overusing AI-generated content. Instead, use AI tools to brainstorm ideas, proofread drafts, or refine choppy messaging. Most importantly, always keep the final content authentic and written in your brand’s voice. Otherwise, you risk your site being deindexed or flagged for low-quality/spam content. There’s no going back if the latter happens.
Bottom Line
Website management can be overwhelming, but with the right tools and a smart process in place, you can keep your site running smoothly, improve search rankings, and maintain a consistent brand presence.
If you’re looking for professional help, our Columbus web design team can guide you through every step, from optimizing your site’s SEO to managing your website for long-term performance. Contact us for your free consultation today!
