Most, if not all businesses today have a website. It is a tool which provides information about the business while at the same time providing a convenient channel for customers to contact the company and access products and services. If you own a small business and would like to have a company website, it may be an intimidating prospect. There are a number of elements you need to pay attention to so that the website is not only professionally built, but also clearly reflects the brand aesthetics and purpose. Here are tips to help a small business get started with a business website design.
SEO is essential
Search engine optimisation ensures that search engines like Google index your web page and put it at the top of search results. There are many principles surrounding search engine optimisation, and you may need to hire an expert web designer with knowledge of SEO and marketing like Digital Agency Sheffield. A web designer will not only build your website for you, but they will also help maintain quality and content relevance.
Professional branding
Some companies even go to the lengths of having custom made logos and illustrations for their websites. If you don’t have the budget for this, at least focus on making sure that the design is professional. Nevertheless, this depends on the type of business you have and the impression you wish your customers to have.
Make products and services the focal point
Customers who visit your website for the first time will lose interest if the landing page is cluttered and there is little information about the products or services offered. If you have an Ecommerce website, for example, product photos and descriptions should be simple, professional and easy to navigate. If your company offers services, you need pages dedicated to each service where the customer can get detailed information and answers to frequently asked questions.
Display contact information
Your company contact information should be prominently displayed where customers can easily access it. One trend you can take advantage of is customer service integration through tools like chat bots. With interactive customer service available at the click of a button, customers can conveniently enquire about products and services without leaving the website.
Accessible using mobile phones
Since Google indexes mobile webpages first, every business should answer the call and make business websites responsive to mobile phone configuration. After all, most people today use their phones for everything from shopping to checking the weather. Your business website needs to be user-friendly across different devices, especially on smartphones.
Use push notifications for inbound leads
Another marketing trend used in websites today is push notifications. You can use this to get your potential customers’ email information so that you can forward email promotions and newsletters. This way, you can organically create inbound leads and improve sales conversions.
Fast loading time
To ensure that your website loads quickly, avoid going too heavy on graphics and videos. As much as possible, invest in the right bandwidth size and server for your needs. Another way you can improve site loading time is by using a good host.
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