Running a successful business is impossible without a well-designed website. In the past, having a website with a simple company description was adequate to ensure business success.
However, in today’s competitive market, your business needs a well-designed website with a well-thought-out business description, or you will lose your competitive edge.
When creating a small business website, there are seven essential elements you should consider. Paying attention to these elements will ensure that you get the most out of your business website, guaranteeing your business success.
Read on to learn exactly what these seven elements include.
1. Your Business’s Contact Details
When visitors come to our website, what would you like them to do? Should they call you? Or schedule a consultation on your site?
Whatever your preferred direct action is, it’s vital to ensure that your contact details on your website are always up-to-date. You should also place your contact details in a location that is easy to spot. This makes it easier for the user to contact you or schedule a consultation.
While this tip may seem obvious to many people, most small businesses forget to update their contact information or place the information on a difficult-to-find spot on their websites. According to research, over 60% of startups and small businesses don’t have their contact information on their websites’ home pages.
Your website visitors will need to know how to contact you whether you’re running an e-commerce business or have a physical location.
2. SEO Optimization
A well-designed website with updated and correct contact information will not help your business if potential clients can’t find it online. Unfortunately, most customers search for businesses online to read their reviews before purchasing a product. Thus, you will need to optimize your pages for SEO. You can do this by:
- Posting high-quality, industry-relevant content on your site
- Using industry-related keywords
- Including proper URLs, links, and titles for the site’s pages
- Including relevant videos and images
When optimizing your website for search engines, ensure you highlight your products and services and your geographic location. This will help search engines display your website to the relevant consumers in the right geographic area.
Remember to highlight your business’s unique selling points (USP) and any specialized services you offer. This will give you a competitive edge, ensuring your business stands out from competitors.
3. Ensure Your Website Is Easy to Navigate
One of the most frustrating things online is visiting cluttered websites. Some businesses have heavy, chaotic, and difficult-to-navigate websites cluttered with too much information. This makes it quite difficult for the client to find what they were looking for.
Ensure your site has a professional website design and it’s easy to navigate. You should also consider including a drop-down menu to make it easy for users to view content under each heading on your home page. When creating a website for a small business, simplicity is the way to go.
When designing a website, you should ensure that wherever the user is, they have access to all the main pages on your site without feeling confused.
4. Always Update Your Blog Page
Running a small business website also includes creating industry-related content such as blog posts and articles. A well-designed website with easy-to-use navigation and static content isn’t sufficient to keep users coming back. Unless you are running an e-commerce business online with constant deals and specials, visitors need a valid reason to keep coming back to your website.
And the best way to ensure this is by running a blog page. The benefits of running a blog page include:
- It keeps visitors coming back to your website
- Ensure your website is ranked by Google algorithm on the search result page
- Establishes you as an industry authority
- Offers your visitors essential information about your products and services
- It increases the number of visitors to your site
Blogging allows you to post content relevant to your industry. It can also help you showcase your products and services to potential clients. Remember to update your blog page with high-quality web content regularly. This will lead to more leads and a higher ranking on search engine result pages.
5. Client Reviews and Testimonials
Your customers need to trust your brand before engaging with your content or purchasing your products. Your website will give potential clients a feel of your brand. Thus, ensure to include a reviews and testimonials page for clients to post their experiences with your brand.
This will help potential clients gauge the quality of your work from previous clients’ reviews. You can also include before and after pictures of the services you offer. This will show your potential clients what to expect when working with you.
6. Add Links to Your Social Media Pages
Each business needs a social media presence to succeed. So, ensure you include links and icons to your social media platforms on your website’s home page. It’s advisable to place the links at the bottom of the page so that your visitors can easily find you.
Clients need to know you have a social media presence, even if you’re just starting on social media. Most people prefer engaging with a brand on social media as it’s one of the easiest ways to communicate with businesses.
7. A Sleek and Appealing Design
When developing a small business website design, it’s advisable to ensure it’s simple, sleek, and appealing to your potential visitors. Before a visitor decides to read the content on your site, they will first scan the whole site and check whether the design is appealing to them.
Ensure you hire professional website services to help you design the website for your small business. Below are things you should consider when developing your website:
- It looks highly polished and professional
- It’s responsive and appealing on both mobile and computer devices
- It is functional and has a fast loading speed
- It’s easy on the eyes
When designing a business website, ensure that it’s easy to navigate and has a sleek design. For the best website design services, check out https://www.paulbarrs.com/sunshine-coast/website-design.
Start Designing Your Small Business Website
Your website is the first place potential clients land before purchasing your products and services.
If your small business website is missing any of the above components, your business is not likely to succeed. Incorporating all the above factors will help you run a successful business while keeping potential clients happy.
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