As any experienced business owner or web developer could tell you, there is a lot that goes into making a small business website successful. From layouts and plugins to images and cross-links, the list of details that need to be attended to is almost endless.
When you take a wide view, however, it’s possible to identify a handful of “big picture” factors that make or break the final product. When you have them in place, the website does its job and helps you turn a profit. Without them, results are nearly always going to be disappointing.
What are these hidden factors? Let’s look at the five essential elements of a small business website…
#1 The Right First Impression
This is hard to define, but easy to spot. Not only should your website be clean and focused so that you seem like a credible business, but it should be immediately obvious to a first-time visitor what your company is all about. In other words they should understand exactly what industry you are in and which products you provide or problems you can solve. Nothing about that should be unclear.
#2 A Clear Content Strategy
The content on your page – specifically the images, text, and videos – should all tell a cohesive story. Not only should they make it very clear what you do (see point number one), but they should also hint at marketing differentiators and personas. To put this another way, it should be easy to tell what your value proposition is like and what sorts of people or organizations you see as your perfect customers.
#3 Solid Technical Capabilities
This is a broad category, but it basically means that your website works exactly the way it’s supposed to. That means you have secure connections and a quality hosting package, and that your site isn’t filled with error-prone links or plugins. It also helps if your content loads quickly and is optimized for mobile devices. Each of these might seem like a small factor until the moment your website isn’t functioning as intended.
#4 Workable Conversion Paths
It’s one thing to have a nice layout and clear content on your website; it’s another thing to generate phone-in leads, online sales, or foot traffic to your retail location. Each of these is an example of a successful conversion, and you need at least one conversion path that turns online interest into cold hard cash. In some cases you might want to have a few of them working at once.
#5 A Plan for Online Promotion
Even the best websites don’t create leads or revenue in a vacuum. In order to bring the right buyers to your pages at the right times you should be taking advantage of search engine optimization, social media marketing, pay-per-click advertising, and other online marketing strategies. The easier it is for the buying public to find your business, the more effective your website becomes.
Is Your Business Website Missing Any of These Elements?
The great thing about the five details we have pointed out in this article is that they are easy to see once you know what you’re looking for. The downside? Many business owners might read this list and realize they are missing two or three.
If that’s the situation you are facing then we can help. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation and see what we’ve been able to do for other entrepreneurs just like you!