In today’s day and age, your business’s is it’s storefront, even if you have a traditional brick and mortar building. There are many factors to consider when creating a website that not only tells your customers who you are and the services you offer, but also instills trust in them to take a clear call to action and engage with you with your needs.
1 - Define Your Site’s Purpose
A good website always begins with a purpose. When your target audience visits your site, what do you want them to know about your business first and foremost? The best websites provide for the needs of their users so they can easily understand why they should choose you over the competition.
While you must consider your audience’s needs first, you should also ensure that they align with your business goals. Your website should showcase your expertise, help build your reputation, and, more importantly, help you generate leads and sales.
You can also review your company’s or brand’s mission statement and determine your website’s intent based on that. Do research or conduct surveys to know more about what your audience likes or needs by looking at successful competitors or brands in other markets.
2 - Keep Things Simple
Having the fanciest site in the world does not always lead to more sales or further customer interaction. Today, everyone is inundated with information so the simpler and cleaner your site is, the better it is for your users to easily understand what you're offering and why they should choose to work with you. Here are three questions your users need to instantly understand when they come to your website:
Who’s website is this? Within seconds your customers need to know whose company this is. Make sure the top of your website has a very clear message explaining who you are.
What do they do? Next, it should be very clear what you are offering. This can be achieved by sub text that very clearly explains your services and can be reinforced by imagery that shows the customer the service, the brand, or the product you offer.
Why should I care? Lastly, focus on value. You might be offering plumbing services or personal training but why is it any different than your competition? Clearly state they value propositions you are offering, be it affordable rates, transparent estimations, examples or quick results and drive all of that towards your clear call to action (schedule an appointment, get a free consultation, give information to receive a free piece of content, etc).
3 - Make Navigation Easy
Whether or not people will stay and return to your website depends on how well they can navigate it. An adequately prepared navigation will make your website more user-friendly and accessible.They know where to go and where to look for what they need. Good navigation and clear calls to action lets them use your website with ease and makes it much more likely that they will convert. If you have multiple forms they are supposed to fill out, hard to find contact information, or links that don’t take them back to where they were before, you are destined to lose a potential customer.
Mobile, Mobile, Mobile
It goes without saying that if your site is not optimized for potential customers to view on their mobile devices, you will lose conversations. Consider when your customers are most likely to be in search of your services. If your call to action is for them to literally call you or if you’re expecting to get traffic from apps like Google Maps or Yelp then you better make sure your site looks and acts great on their phones.
Ensure It Loads Fast
The page load time affects the bounce rate of your website. The slower it loads, the higher the chance that people will abandon your site for a competitor. If you improve your site’s performance, you once again remove a barrier for potential customers to convert to your call to action.
Conclusion
Whether you are only starting or operating an enterprise-level business, a great website will open up many opportunities for your business. These minor elements put together will define how your potential customers will perceive your brand and turn your website into a true asset of your growth strategy. Aim for a website that considers its users and provides them with a great experience.
If you’re looking to build your small business website using advanced yet affordable technology, we’ve got you covered. Torch Digital Labs offers seamless strategy, branding, design, development, and marketing services to clients in need. Contact us and grow your brand with us today!
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