13 Tips Every Small Business Website Needs
Do you want to bring more traffic to your website? Are you looking to increase sales? If you have a small business website it is important that your site is just as helpful to visitors as the sites from larger businesses.
This article will help you to create a great small business website that is sure to stand out.
1.
A Clear Description of Who You Are Visitors come to your site because they are interested in who you are or what you have to offer.
Your homepage is the best place to tell your customers what you do.
Remember, your visitors will quickly get their first impression and decide whether to stay or leave.
2.
Real Content Google will reward your site for having informative content in your niche or service.
This high quality content will help your site to rank well with search engines which will bring you more site visitors.
Having information about your niche will also build trust with your customer as they will see that you are knowledgeable about the topic.
3.
It's Not Just a URL The domain name to your site is like your brand.
Don't make it complicated.
It should be memorable so that customers will return.
Your site should end in ".
com" if you offer services or products.
Don't assume people will know how to spell your domain name, try not to pick a word that can be spelled multiple ways.
4.
Layout The layout of your website should remain consistent throughout your site.
Having an unorganized layout will make it harder for your customers to find what they are looking for.
Try keeping the header and menu, the same on all pages.
You need to also offer a sitemap, this should list all your available pages in one place in an organized fashion.
5.
Easy to Find Contact Information You don't want to lose customers because they couldn't find your contact information.
Every page should have contact information on it, whether it's on the top left or top right of your site or on a sidebar.
You should also have a contact page that offers more complete information.
6.
Build Trust with Your Customer You need to build customer trust.
One way to do this is to have customer testimonials on your site.
Another way is to add pictures of you or your team as well as a brief bio.
7.
Call to Action What do you want your customers to do once they are at your site? Do you want them to call, buy a product or fill out a contact form? Make it clear.
Consider having a large button on the homepage that says something like, " Call today for your quote.
" 8.
Solid Hosting Company You need to make sure that your website hosting company will be able to grow with you.
You won't want to have to switch to another hosting company in the future because they don't offer a service you want.
Its important to have speed Google has said that the speed of your site will affect its page ranking.
Make sure you know what you're paying for when you purchase a hosting package.
Are you paying for a static or non-static website? Will it include a customer database and email? Remember, all of these impact the cost.
Don't over pay the hosting of a site when all your getting is a simple page.
9.
Email Every small business needs a professional email address.
Your email should end in your domain name.
For example your email address should be contact @yourstore.
com rather thancontact @yahoo.
com.
You can have your own email with your domain for less than $15 a year.
10.
Irresistible Offer You got customers to your site now you need to convert them to paying customers.
Your website needs to have an offer it needs to grab their attention, whether it is call today and receive 5% off or free shipping with any purchase.
Having an offer helps to reel in your customers.
11.
Social Media Go where your customers are- whether that's on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.
You need to get them talking about you.
You can offer special offers to people who follow you or special deals only available through these social media sites.
Not all social media sites are best for each type of website.
Do your research and find a couple you like.
Then try to be strong and build up a prominent following on these sites.
12.
Analytics Tracking Your website should have analytics built into it so that you can track your progress and return on investment.
Google Analytics is a great service to use to do this and, best of all, it's free.
13.
Easy to Edit Content Management Having a site that you can edit is a must if you want to be able to make weekly changes and add fresh content without having to pay outrageous web design fees.
This article will help you to create a great small business website that is sure to stand out.
1.
A Clear Description of Who You Are Visitors come to your site because they are interested in who you are or what you have to offer.
Your homepage is the best place to tell your customers what you do.
Remember, your visitors will quickly get their first impression and decide whether to stay or leave.
2.
Real Content Google will reward your site for having informative content in your niche or service.
This high quality content will help your site to rank well with search engines which will bring you more site visitors.
Having information about your niche will also build trust with your customer as they will see that you are knowledgeable about the topic.
3.
It's Not Just a URL The domain name to your site is like your brand.
Don't make it complicated.
It should be memorable so that customers will return.
Your site should end in ".
com" if you offer services or products.
Don't assume people will know how to spell your domain name, try not to pick a word that can be spelled multiple ways.
4.
Layout The layout of your website should remain consistent throughout your site.
Having an unorganized layout will make it harder for your customers to find what they are looking for.
Try keeping the header and menu, the same on all pages.
You need to also offer a sitemap, this should list all your available pages in one place in an organized fashion.
5.
Easy to Find Contact Information You don't want to lose customers because they couldn't find your contact information.
Every page should have contact information on it, whether it's on the top left or top right of your site or on a sidebar.
You should also have a contact page that offers more complete information.
6.
Build Trust with Your Customer You need to build customer trust.
One way to do this is to have customer testimonials on your site.
Another way is to add pictures of you or your team as well as a brief bio.
7.
Call to Action What do you want your customers to do once they are at your site? Do you want them to call, buy a product or fill out a contact form? Make it clear.
Consider having a large button on the homepage that says something like, " Call today for your quote.
" 8.
Solid Hosting Company You need to make sure that your website hosting company will be able to grow with you.
You won't want to have to switch to another hosting company in the future because they don't offer a service you want.
Its important to have speed Google has said that the speed of your site will affect its page ranking.
Make sure you know what you're paying for when you purchase a hosting package.
Are you paying for a static or non-static website? Will it include a customer database and email? Remember, all of these impact the cost.
Don't over pay the hosting of a site when all your getting is a simple page.
9.
Email Every small business needs a professional email address.
Your email should end in your domain name.
For example your email address should be contact @yourstore.
com rather thancontact @yahoo.
com.
You can have your own email with your domain for less than $15 a year.
10.
Irresistible Offer You got customers to your site now you need to convert them to paying customers.
Your website needs to have an offer it needs to grab their attention, whether it is call today and receive 5% off or free shipping with any purchase.
Having an offer helps to reel in your customers.
11.
Social Media Go where your customers are- whether that's on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.
You need to get them talking about you.
You can offer special offers to people who follow you or special deals only available through these social media sites.
Not all social media sites are best for each type of website.
Do your research and find a couple you like.
Then try to be strong and build up a prominent following on these sites.
12.
Analytics Tracking Your website should have analytics built into it so that you can track your progress and return on investment.
Google Analytics is a great service to use to do this and, best of all, it's free.
13.
Easy to Edit Content Management Having a site that you can edit is a must if you want to be able to make weekly changes and add fresh content without having to pay outrageous web design fees.
