Small Business Website Must-Haves
Your website is probably the most important piece of digital real estate you occupy – it is the internet home of your business. It’s valuable to ask yourself – when inviting guests over – what impression would you like to make? Hopefully you want them to find the place inviting, tidy, and reflective of your style. And you definitely don’t want them leaving shortly after they arrive! It’s helpful to think of your web visitors in a similar way – they are, quite literally, guests in your digital abode. Here are some tips to make their visit as pleasant as possible!
Make It Easy to Find
Much like you would provide your house visitors with clear directions for their GPS to decipher, your site should be easily located as well. An effective Search Engine Optimization strategy should go a long way in keeping search engines happy and customers finding your site when looking for products/services that your business happens to offer. There are many tried and tested SEO boosting techniques – natural keyword placement, great quality (fresh!) content, reputable linking, and optimized URLs are just a few. Targeted Search Engine Marketing such as properly set PPC campaigns are another vital component to complementing the organic reach that SEO delivers. SEO and SEM should work in tandem to create optimum results, which is why eliciting expert help in website setup and maintenance is highly recommended.
Make It Easy to Navigate
Your house guests shouldn’t have to mistakenly open the bedroom, pantry, and closet door…PLUS trip over a bean bag while looking for the bathroom you told them was just around the corner. Similarly your website should be uncluttered, easy to navigate, and aesthetically pleasing. Yes, you definitely want to grab their attention upon landing on your webpage, but there’s a big difference between a visually engaging and a visually confounding interface. A clean, intuitive layout with high quality and brand reflective graphics should do the trick. Too many bells and whistles, plus confusingly moving parts can be super frustrating for the end user. Along that note, navigating a website menu should not be a tab opening scavenger hunt – clarity and simplicity are key. These are especially important when it comes to e-commerce, online reservations, and any conversion oriented navigation – so make the process as easy as possible!
Make It Easy to Pop By
Have you ever given up on ordering takeout from a particular place because you didn’t happen to have binoculars handy just so you could decipher their phone screen un-optimized menu? I know I have! Given the exponential increase of mobile technology usage, it is pretty much common wisdom that your website has to be user responsive on any viewing platform. The inability to properly load and view web pages on all devices is a huge conversion deterrent, and this is a trend that will only continue gaining momentum. And as with any trend – it’s better to ride the early adoption wave, than scramble to keep up later!
As any reputable provider, our web services meet all the above criteria plus more, and we’re always happy to chat about how we can help ensure that your website becomes the marketing powerhouse that it should be!
