What every business website design needs

The vast majority of our clients are small business owners who are looking for a business website design. They need something professional. They need it to be affordable and most importantly, they need it to work. A good business website can lead to increased customers and a bigger bottom line.

More often than not, our clients need us to help guide them through many of the phases of our process, helping them understand exactly what they need and why they need it.

When it comes to business website design, your site needs to have, at a minimum, the following.

Clearly Defined Goals

One of the biggest mistakes I see with websites is the lack of a goal or mission. What is your website about? What do you want it to do? Don’t leave your users wondering what you are offering them – or why they should hire or buy from you.

It’s easy to get distracted with all the great things your business does that you forget to narrow your focus and make it clear what your users should do. Most of the time, your visitor will complete just one action. You are very unlikely to get them to complete more than one, so don’t distract them with 20 different offerings. Get to the point.

Great Photos

Put your phone down right now. It’s worth the time and effort to get some really good photos for your website. Even if you can’t afford to hire a professional photographer, you may have a friend with a good eye and a nice camera and those photos will come out much better than a selfie with your iPhone.

The quality of your photos reflects the quality of your business. It’s the first impression that many of your customers have of you. A grainy, poorly-lit photo doesn’t portray you or your business in the best light.

A meaningful call-to-action

If you have a website, you probably want your users to do something. That could be to buy a product, subscribe to your newsletter, or call you for services. Whatever it is you want them to do, make sure it’s clear and easy to do. Don’t hide it! You want to make it as easy as possible for every user to complete that step.

If your goal is for clients to call you, don’t hide your phone number on the button of the site or the contact page. Put it big and clear on the top of your site, on every page.

If your goal is for your users to sign up for your newsletter, make sure you have an embedded sign up form right on the page and include a compelling reason for them to actually sign up. What do they get if they sign up, other than emails from you? What makes it a worthwhile venture? Everyone’s inbox is filled up with spam, what makes your spam special?

A clearly defined call-to-action will increase conversions. Don’t forget it!

A great contact page

If someone comes to your website, there’s a pretty good chance they’ll need to contact you about something. Don’t hide this page – make it easy to find. The best practice is to make it the last item in your navigation bar. I’ve seen sites where the page is hidden in a drop down or only available in the footer. Unless you literally don’t want people to contact you, make sure it’s easy to find.

Additionally, make sure it has all the relevant information. Do you want folks to call you? Include a phone number. Do you want them to submit a form? Include a form. Address? Check. Social media? Check.

Also keep in mind that everyone has different communication preferences, and the way they communicate with them should be on their preferred method, not yours. You may say, “I hate website forms” but the person who lands on your website may really like to send forms. Remember, your website is ‘about‘ you, but it’s not ‘for‘ you. That’s a very important distinction.

High Quality Content

Content is what brings people to your site. It’s what keeps them there. It’s how search engines know what your site is about. It’s important to take the time and really invest in writing high quality content.

What does that mean? It means you need more than a few sentences. You need to think about your message, and make sure that it’s on track. Your content should be what establishes you as an expert in your industry. Having thin content won’t help you with your site visitors or the search engines.

And a few extras that you need for fun

Google Analytics: If you don’t measure it, you can’t improve it, so make sure your tracking who is coming to your site and what’s bringing them there.

A Business Blog: Business websites with blogs get more traffic and more leads than sites without blogs, but it takes a commitment to creating new content to make it work for you.

Simple Navigation: Don’t make it hard for your users to find information on your site. Keep the menu simple and easy to navigate.

Do you need help with a business website design? Contact us today! We know just what you need.