Small Business Websites. Like many small businesses, you may think you can’t compete with the corporate juggernauts in your field. You conjecture they have the capital to create a smart and quick loading website and you have limited resources. If you feel this way, take heart, you can have an effective website as well. You can’t forego having a website. Why? It is the best way to bring in new customers. Here a few tips on how to create the perfect website for small businesses.
What is Your Goal?
What is your objective? Do you want visitors to sign up for a mailing list? Do you want to be an e-commerce store that sells your products through an online store? Understanding your goals before the design phase will help get the website you want.
Identify Your Customers
You need to identify who your core customers are and what they expect in a website. How? You can do it in two ways.
- Put the information from your mailing list to work.
- Add a short survey on your website at checkout to collect more data about your target demographic.
Using these two techniques allows you to get information about your customers and utilize it in your website’s design.
Relay Your Brand
It is essential in this day and age that you have a distinctly identifiable brand. Your image should reflect your company’s core values while reaching out to your customers. The following elements should be included:
- Authorized Language for Brand
- Brand Colors
- Brand Authorized Fonts
- Authorized Imagery
- Your Business’s Logo
Be sure your branding reflects your company’s unique personality rather than copying a competitor’s identity. It would be best if you considered your target demographics likes and dislikes when picking colors, imagery and typography for your website. A strong and uniform brand identity is effective in reaching your customers.
Pick the Right Web Host
If your company is going to compete, especially if it’s in e-commerce, you need a web host with limited to no downtime. If your customers go to your site and it’s down, it’s doubtful the customer will return to your site. Her is what you should expect from a web host:
- The host is scalable with your growth.
- Can manage a large amount of traffic.
- Has limited to no downtime.
- It has robust security.
- Automatically backs up data.
- Is high speed.
These requirements are nearly as crucial as the design of your website.
Plan SEO and Marketing Strategy in Advance
When designing your site, it is vital to consider search engine optimization (SEO) and marketing in mind when creating its architecture and content. How does this help? A website with vibrant graphics, attention-getting animations, inspirational images, and engaging content will transform visitors to your site into regulars. The increased traffic will help your site’s ranking with Google and Bing.
Think About Social Media as Part of Your Website’s Design
When designing your site, be sure social media buttons are included on your site’s homepage. Social media is an excellent way to build brand loyalty and recognition while promoting your goods or services. Platform buttons that let your customers share a page from your site have another benefit. Search engine crawlers look for sites which were shared on social media, the greater number of shares, the more favorably your website is looked at by search engines. Make sure to use social media platforms that reflect your brand best. If you are a florist using Instagram is the ideal way to share pictures of the sunflowers that just went on sale to the public, and it also reflects your band. Facebook or Twitter could be your choice, depending on what you offer.
Benchmarking
You should never copy your competitor’s website, but it is crucial to examine sites that rank higher on Google and Bing to know why they are in such a high position. Use concepts that your competitors are good at and make them yours. You should be true to your branding, but don’t forego studying your competition.
To Sum Up
Following these steps for your small business website will have you on your way towards achieving your goals!
For more information on how Incend Media can help you contact us today.