Small business website design has never been more important than it is today. The growth of online trading provides small businesses with opportunities to reach out to a range of consumers they could never hope to connect with in the pre-internet age. Small businesses are limited in the resources available for advertising. A quality business website enables them to bring their message to customers across the globe for a very modest investment. As they introduce new products and services their website design is easily updated to accommodate the new trading demands.
Profitable opportunities are certainly available across the worldwide web but this expanding market is highly competitive. Online searches for the most popular products produce pages and pages of links. Repeated surveys show that the majority of users only click on the links at the top of the first page. One of the main small business website design challenges is how to ensure the website gets a good search list position. It is also vital to get the website to capture visitor interest in those first crucial seconds after it opens on the computer or mobile device. Only an amazingly skilled web design firm is capable of developing and maintaining such a list-topping business website.
What Features Should a Small Business Website Have?
To succeed in their online trading venture the small business concern requires a website design that stands out from its rivals. This can only be achieved through a comprehensive design strategy that maximises the website’s presence in search results and delivers an impressive visitor to buyer conversion rate. The steps involved include writing quality content that is carefully configured according to SEO considerations; developing navigational tools that make it easy to locate specific product or service details, and the use of attractive and immediately recognisable branding.
Social Media Integration
In addition to having an excellent business website, an effective online marketing strategy should also include the promotion of a positive social media profile. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and other online communities are growing. These platforms offer new ways to export a commercial message and bring new traffic to a website. Small businesses have benefited through encouraging the emergence of social media for their brand buyers. These consumer forums enhance the business’s profile and show that the firm’s product is popular and reliable.
Contact Forms & Information
The contact page of a website is one of the most crucial elements. Once the customer is interested in your business’s products they might want to contact you for additional information. A clear form for submitting a request for extra information must be provided but more traditional contact details cannot be omitted. Although many people (especially the under 30s) are happy contacting you through an online form, many others will look for a phone and fax numbers and a regular address; failing to provide this information could lose a customer.
Useful Information for Customers
Part of the appeal of business websites is the useful information visitors can find on a product or service of interest to them. While the prime aim of your business website is attracting new business there is a value in providing content beyond the utilitarian product descriptions, testimonials and company news. For example, if you sell gardening tools you might want to include gardening tips on your website. This adds to visitor interest and when this content is written for SEO it will improve the website’s listing. Some of those drawn to the website by these free tips are likely to make purchases.
Case Studies
It is one thing reading about how your product or service can help the customer in theory but actual case studies really drive home the message that this is something worth buying. Prospective buyers like to read about how the product is successfully used by your clients, or how you have personally helped them to achieve their business objectives. If you can bring a case study from a well-known high street name or a well-known name in the industry so much the better. It is all about boosting confidence in your business’s ability to meet the clients’ needs.
Clear Calls to Action
Getting the visitor to stay on the website and read the content or view your video is an achievement but success is measured by the conversion, or follow-up rate. Visits needs to be converted into the actions you want customers to take, whether this is buying the product or just requesting additional information. This requires including clear calls to action that encourage the website visitor to take the desired actions or steps, for example, “take advantage of our special discount rate to…”
Customer Feedback
Customer feedback also has a role to play in conveying the firm impression that your business supplies products and services that meet the customer’s requirements. In common with case studies the value of testimonials increases when the people quoted are easily recognisable and well-respected in their fields. The positioning of the customer feedback quotes also needs to be considered since if you bury this away in the inner sanctums of your website their impact is much reduced.
Images and Video
The old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words applies to website design. Graphics and video make your website that much more interesting and make visitors more likely to prolong their stay. The use of videos in case studies and customer feedback pages enhance their impact. Websites certainly ought to be both attractive and informative but how to make the best use of online graphics requires the input of a professional web designer. Besides the amount of graphics and choice of image, the impact of adding graphics on website loading time must be considered.
How Much Should I pay for small business website design?
It’s hard to give an exact figure for all small business websites since the functionality is never the same. You can find approximate prices on our web design pricing page or request a quote.
