Every business, big or small, requires a professional website these days.
However, getting started can be quite intimidating for those that have never
handled a website before. A website can be one of the most important elements
of a business, helping build trust amongst clients or turning away potential
customers.
The 10 tips listed below will help your small business
website get noticed and generate the desired impact.
- Clutter
Free:
A small business website
design should be simple yet captivating. Too much information or a
complicated design can overwhelm the viewer. An uncluttered design also sends
across the message of professionalism. Allow your website to breathe and your
users to have a pleasant viewing experience.
- Google
should be able to find your site easily:
An uncluttered site, clear content, proper URLs, sitemap,
and relevant keywords will allow search engines like Google to index your small
business website with ease. Website design for small business should include at
least basic SEO. It is important to find a good SEO friendly CMS to build and
maintain your website.
- Mobile
friendly:
After Google’s announcement of mobile-first index, it would
be almost suicidal not to have your small business website responsive. This
merely means that your site will adapt and rearrange when viewed on mobile
devices. But that in itself will not make your website mobile friendly. You
will need to insure that your website provides a user friendly experience
across all devices.
- Inbound
Leads:
One of the most important functions of any small business
website is to focus on the inbound leads and capture as many as possible.
Usually before purchasing a product people like to do an initial research and
comparison, and may not be ready to buy immediately. This time should be utilized
in acquiring their e-mail addresses so that you can keep them informed and
gauge as to when they are ready to purchase. However, you should avoid being
too persistent as this could annoy a potential customer.
- Contact
details easily visible:
This may seem like the most obvious thing to do but small
business website design companies
tend to overlook this factor at times. Your phone number and e-mail address
should be displayed prominently on the website and, if possible, at the top and
bottom of every page. Create a ‘CONTACT’ page at the end which includes not
just the contact numbers but email address, physical address of the company,
and a map, along with directions to and hours of operation of your company.
- Branding
should be professional:
Avoid any frivolity on your small business website and focus
on giving it a professional look which is consistent with your brand. Use
colours that are prominent in your brand logo. Hire a small business website design company, if required, to
give your website a professional look. Choose one or two fonts and ensure that
they are used consistently throughout the website. The graphics and the images
that you use should also be in sync and complement the website.
- Design
should be simple and unique:
Whether you are designing your website on your own or hiring
a small business website design company, your goal should be to create a
website that reflects your brand. The first impression is the most important
and will either attract or repel viewers. If you use any run-of-the-mill
template and your website resembles thousands of others on the net, you will
never be able to create an impact on the viewer’s mind. The homepage of any
website is what will clinch the deal for you so ensure that this becomes the
anchor for your entire site and is impressive enough to catch the viewer’s
attention.
- Products
and services should be showcased well:
Several small business web
designs are unable to showcase their products effectively or show too many
products and services on one page and clutter it. Remember that you only have
the luxury of a few seconds to win or lose a potential customer. So make sure
that the first impression is professional. If you are a company selling
products online then the product photos, images, and descriptions should be
crisp and appropriate. If you have a great website design but your products
have not been displayed well, your customers will think twice before buying
from you.
- Quick
Site load time:
Viewers get impatient if a site takes too much time to load.
Ensure that your small business website
design has the right server infrastructure and bandwidth to support it. A
graphically intense design could eat into your loading time and put off
prospective customers. Site load time can also be improved by picking up good
hosts.
- Content:
Last but not the least is the relevance of content on your
small business website. This plays a major role in getting indexed by search
engines. The more qualitative and quantitative your content, the easier it is
for search engines to find and index your site. Poor or irrelevant content is
also a game changer when it comes to attracting or putting off viewers.
Headlines are where you need to pay extra attention as this will decide the
difference between a visitor leaving your site or continuing further to browse
the rest.
The lack of a dedicated and updated small business website
can impact your business. Without a website you may not only fall behind your
competition but may also miss the opportunity to connect and engage with
prospective customers. Before purchasing a product or service, customers would
like to know and see more about your company, and the perfect platform to
showcase these is a professional website. The above mentioned tips will help
you when designing a website for
your small business.
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