A good website design needs proper planning. The chosen design needs to paint the business in the best possible light, drive potential customers to take action, and perfectly reflect the business’s branding.
Here are our top 5 things every small business website must have to succeed, in no particular order:
Clear Messaging
Your website is your online shop window which is ready and waiting to be presented to customers 24/7. Because of this, your website needs to be able to quickly inform customers what your business does, who you do it for, and why.
By ensuring that your content is clear and relevant you’re ensuring that customers can gain a quick overview of your business and you can retain their interest in your business.
Clear Navigation
Don’t hide away useful information in countless drop-downs, click-throughs, and other obstacles. By providing clear navigation for your site you’re enabling customers to easily browse and become familiar with your business.
Your top-level navigation should include your most relevant sections/pages and then drop-down if there are more relevant sub-sections to display, for example, a services menu.
Calls to Action
It’s amazing how many websites we see without an obvious call to action. A call to action is what you want your users to click or engage with, for example, a button to request a callback, sign-up, or make a purchase.
Your CTA will depend on your business and target market, but without one, you’ll find potential customers trailing off and a potential loss of business.
Customer Reviews and Testimonials
Presenting reviews and testimonials from a section of your best customers is a great way to build trust in your business.
If you’re running an eCommerce website, adding specific reviews to each product will go a long way in sealing the deal. Actual customer feedback is gold dust and shows that your products/services are the real deal and live up to your sales pitch.
Consider asking some of your best customers to post a review on your Google My Business listing, or provide a testimonial for you to post on your website.
Contact Information
You should be aiming to make it as clear as possible for customers to contact you. The tiniest amount of friction when looking for something basic like an email address or phone number can be enough to lose out on a potential customer.
Make sure to include a contact page on your site and link to it from your main navigation. On this page, you should include your phone, email, address, an inquiry form if relevant, and if you’re a physical business it’s best to include a map.
By adding these various points of communication you’re enabling the customer to choose their path to you, and reducing the friction between your business and the customer.
