Having a website is a necessity for small businesses to reach customers and compete in the market. To make it effective, it must include specific elements that appeal to your target audience and encourage engagement. Here are some things that all small business websites should have.
A clear message
Your website’s messaging should be clear, concise, and compelling. It should explain how you can solve your customers’ problems. Make sure your messaging is consistent across your website, social media, and other marketing channels, if applicable.
Two things should be clear to the visitor at once: your activity and what you want them to do. It can be “full-scale marketing across social media channels” and “sign up for a consultation.”
You need a simple URL with your business’ name so that people can find you easily. Your website’s navigation should be easy and intuitive. You can use scroll-triggered, dropdown, hamburger, or other menus. What counts is that your menu is well-organized and includes all essential pages, such as About Us, Products/Services, Contact Us, and Testimonials.
Your essential pages should appear in the navigation bar on their own. If you choose a dropdown menu, it needs supporting information.
Branding is important. If you choose a certain color scheme, like red and black or gray and blue, you should apply it consistently on each page.
Contact information
Your website should include clear and easy-to-find contact information, including your business’s phone number, email address, and physical address. Make sure this information is consistent across your website, social media, and other channels.
According to a recent study, more than a quarter of small businesses do not have a contact number on their website. Put your number on every page and answer calls. It should be near the top so people can see it easily.
Your email address should not be free. It needs to have your business’ web address at the end.
Your site should have your business hours. Ideally, they should be in the header and the footer. Include information about weekends and holidays if your hours will change.
If your mailing address is different from your street address, include both. Have this in the header and the footer as well.
Finally, you should have an image of your location on the map (for businesses with a physical venue.) If your business is easy to find, people will be more likely to look for it.
You could include brief directions to make things even easier.
Quality content
When working on your content, consider what potential customers would want to know about your offerings and create posts and pages around these topics. Your choice of a hosting service is equally important in this context: a good Word Press hosting provider will ensure high loading speed and uptime.
Testimonials and reviews
Testimonials and reviews from satisfied customers can build trust and credibility with potential customers. Display them prominently on your website, and consider including links to Yelp or Google My Business. They might lead other customers to leave reviews in the same vein.
Calls to action
Your website should include clear and compelling calls to action (CTAs), such as “book an appointment to simplify your taxes,” “get a quote,” or “sign up for our newsletter.” The CTAs must stand out.
A photograph of your business
If you have a physical location, you can add a picture of your storefront to make your business easier to find. It also adds authenticity and helps with marketing.
A link to your Facebook page
More than three-quarters of customers expect a company to be on Facebook. This figure goes up to 95% of millennials, according to a Hubspot report. Your Facebook URL should be as close to the name of your business as possible.
Analytics
Analytics are essential for measuring your website’s performance and making informed decisions about your marketing strategy. Google Analytics is a free tool that provides valuable insights into your website’s traffic, demographics, and behavior. It tells you the source of traffic, which operating system most of your visitors use, etc.
