This Dhanteras, Make Your Business Easy for Buyers to Find
The short answer: a website helps an SME get found, checked and contacted by buyers who have never met them. Before a buyer calls, they search your name, look for proof that you are real and capable, and decide in a few minutes whether you are worth a conversation. A clear website with your products, capacity, certifications and contact details is what lets that decision go your way.
Dhanteras shows how India buys
Last Dhanteras, India spent an estimated ₹1 lakh crore in a single day, according to the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT). Gold and silver made up about ₹60,000 crore of that. Utensils and kitchen appliances added ₹15,000 crore, and electronics another ₹10,000 crore.
CAIT credited much of the growth to buyers choosing Indian-made products. That is good news for small manufacturers and traders. But every one of those sales started earlier, with a retailer or distributor deciding whom to buy stock from.
That decision now almost always involves a search. A distributor in Dubai, a hotel group in Pune or a chain store in Nairobi will look you up before they place an order. What they find, or don't find, shapes whether they call.
As this year's Dhanteras approaches, it is a good moment to ask a simple question: if a buyer searched for your business today, would they have enough to trust you?
How buyers find and judge a supplier today
Most business buyers go through the same three steps, often before you know they exist.
-
Discover. They search Google, a B2B marketplace or, increasingly, ask an AI assistant something like "steel kitchenware manufacturers in Gujarat that export." If your business has no clear page describing what you make, you are unlikely to appear.
-
Evaluate. They open your website and look for proof: what you make, at what scale, for whom, and with which certifications. A WhatsApp number and a logo are not enough to place a bulk order.
-
Contact. They want an easy next step, such as a phone number, an email or an enquiry form that works on a mobile phone.
The businesses that win orders are rarely the biggest. They are the ones that make each of these steps easy.
What to put on your website, by type of business
Generic advice says "have a good website." Buyers need specifics, and those differ by business.
|
If you are a… |
Buyers want to see |
A good example |
|---|---|---|
|
Manufacturer |
Product range with specs, monthly capacity, minimum order quantity, factory photos, certifications (ISO, BIS, FSSAI) |
"Stainless steel cookware, 304 grade, 20,000 units a month, MOQ 500 pieces" |
|
Exporter |
Countries you ship to, export documentation you handle, packaging standards, IEC and quality certificates |
"Shipping to the UAE, UK and Kenya; FOB and CIF terms; export-grade cartons" |
|
Trader or distributor |
Brands and categories you carry, regions you cover, delivery timelines, credit terms |
"Authorised distributor for 12 kitchenware brands across Maharashtra, 48-hour delivery" |
|
Service provider |
Services in plain words, sectors you serve, past clients or case studies, how a project works |
"GST and export compliance for food manufacturers; 140 clients since 2015" |
Three things help every type of business. Write a page for each product or service, not one page for everything. Use the words your buyers search for, such as "brass diyas wholesale" rather than only your brand name. And keep your name, address and phone number identical everywhere they appear online.
A festive checklist for your online presence
Take ten minutes before Dhanteras and tick off what you already have.
☐ Searching my business name shows my own website on the first page
☐ The homepage says in one line what I make or do, and for whom
☐ Each product or service has its own page with photos and specifications
☐ Capacity, MOQ and delivery timelines are stated clearly
☐ Certifications and registrations are listed and up to date
☐ The site opens quickly and reads well on a mobile phone
☐ The site shows a padlock (SSL) so browsers don't flag it as unsafe
☐ Phone, email and WhatsApp are visible on every page
☐ My business name, address and phone match on Google, marketplaces and my website
☐ I have a page that answers the questions buyers ask most often
If you ticked fewer than seven, start with the gaps buyers notice first: contact details and product pages.
Questions SME owners often ask
How can a manufacturer in India get discovered by overseas buyers?
Publish a page for each product with specifications, capacity and export details, in the words buyers search for. List your business on B2B platforms that overseas buyers use, and link those listings back to your website.
What should an Indian exporter include on their website?
The countries you ship to, the trade terms you offer, your certifications, packaging standards and a clear way to send an enquiry. Photos of your facility and finished goods build trust quickly.
How do buyers find Indian suppliers online?
Most start with a search engine, a B2B marketplace or an AI assistant. All three favour businesses with clear, specific and consistent information about what they offer.
How do I make my product catalogue easier for Google to understand?
Give each product its own page with a descriptive title, a short description, specifications and real photos. Avoid putting your whole catalogue in a single PDF, which is harder for search engines to read.
What does an overseas buyer need before contacting a supplier?
Enough to judge you are genuine and capable: what you make, how much you can supply, your quality standards, and who to speak to.
Start the new year easier to find
Dhanteras is traditionally the day to invest in something that grows in value. For a small business, being easy for buyers to find and trust is one of those things.
The festive season is when many business owners take stock and plan for the year ahead. Add your online presence to that list. Work through the checklist above, fix the gaps buyers notice first, and you will go into the new year easier to find, check and contact.
Source:
CAIT press release on Dhanteras 2025 sales, 18 October 2025
Image source: Open AI
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views, official policy or position of GlobalLinker.
My endeavour is to help business owners digitise, network and grow easily. Towards this I help organise webinars, curate articles and answer queries via our help centre.
