Every small business needs a website. Yet, not all websites are the same. Some are well designed, engaging visitors and contributing to a company's bottom line. Others just take up space on the web and serve no real purpose. What makes a small business website effective? Here are six elements that successful websites have in common.
Responsive Design
This means that a website renders well and looks great on all devices (laptops, desktops, tablets and smartphones). More people now access the web from a mobile device than a desktop, so it is imperative that your company website work well on small screens.
To do this it must have simple navigation and text that is large enough to read. Photographs and copy should not slide off of the page. No one likes to "pinch and scroll" when interacting with a website. Non-responsive sites frustrate users and suffer from high bounce rates (when someone comes to a site but leaves without clicking through to other pages).
Interactive Elements
Visitors come to your business website because they are looking for something specific. If they cannot find it, have questions or just need more information, then make it easy for them to reach you by placing a chat box or simple contact form in a prominent spot on the site. Do not forget to highlight your phone number, too, and include your physical business address somewhere on the site.
Photo Gallery
We all know the old adage, "A picture is worth a thousand words." People respond to photos, so make sure that your website has plenty of them nicely displayed in a picture gallery. All photographs should be sharp and in focus, not fuzzy or grainy. You want to showcase your company's best work in the best possible way.
To the Point Content
Everyone is in a hurry these days. No one wants to spend time reading tons of irrelevant or padded text when all they want is straight forward information. Make sure your website content is well-written, concise and to the point.
Call to Action Button
What do you want your website visitors to do? Buy something? Complete a form? Whatever it is, tell them to do it with a clear call to action (CTA) button. Something like, "Buy Now" or "Sign Up" increases conversions. Put the CTA in a prominent place on every page.
Attention Grabbing Landing Page
People visit various websites all day long. Many of them look the same. Make your company's landing page - the page where users first enter your site - stand out. Great design combined with interesting copy and colorful images accomplishes this. If the landing page intrigues your visitors, then they will naturally want to venture further into your site. The further they go, the more likely they are to buy your product or order your service.
A sleek, modern website is vital in today's competitive online world. Not only does it enhance a small business' image, it also engages existing customers, brings new ones and increases profitability.