Business Website Needs
When you need to design a website, there are a few things that need to be on the site every single time. There are essentials that will allow you to do business in the most effective way possible. Your website needs to have the basic elements of user friendliness and have the inspiration for them to do business with your company. The following is a list of a few of these essentials that will make your website the place to be and buy!
First, you need a description of who you are and what you are about. When people are wandering around the internet and they find your site, the first thing they want to know is who you are. They don’t want to have to work hard to get that information. Googling a site to get information about that site is a waste of time and the viewer will just move on. You will need to precisely display your name and then give an overview of your company, your products and your services. This should be on your home page, the front page the first page they go to. You want to tell people right from the start all about your story. A great description will attract people to the site and keep them there to explore your other pages. The longer they linger, the more likely they will do business.
You will need a simple and logical web address. The domain name will be used on all of your communications from letters to business cards. It needs to be sensible. The domain name is your brand online. It should be created to be easily found. You want a user to simply put your company name into the browser and find your business. Use your company name with dot com since that is the most popular address and people are used to it. Avoid using dashes in your web address as it makes problems for search engine optimization (SEO). Numbers can be confusing also.
Next, you will need another piece of logical information and that is your site map or menu. People want to travel around on your site if they are interested, but they will need to easily see how to do it. Make clear links to the most important pages or to the next page. Guide them through a well thought out journey that explains your systems, products and services. Guide them to the information they are looking for. Use dropdowns in the navigation menu so the viewer can see the content under every heading from any page.
Your contact information should be right at the top of the page… every page. You want to make it as easy as possible for the viewer to contact you whether it is by email, telephone or a contact form. The best place for the contact information is the top left or top right corner of the home page. As a business, you should include the physical address of your main location. If they want to stop by, they need to know what state and city you are located in. A link to your location in Google maps can also help to be more specific.
Every always recommends putting customer testimonials on the first page of your website. The real words from real customers can validate your services and products. But, these testimonials need to appear real and not some random comments that were obviously invented. Good statements can build trust. A prospect loves to hear stories from the people who have done business with you and these can help them make the decision moving forward.
Calls to action are the reason you have a website. You are going to obviously tell the visitor exactly what you want them to do. And you want to tell them with authority in a clear voice. Call Now, Order within the next 24 hours, fill out the form, are all calls to action. To make it super easy to do what you want them to, add large colorful buttons that when they click on it, a form will pop up, a phone number will shine or an email address will glow.
Once you have your website laid out and then each page written, go back and check it for search engine optimization or SEO. You would ideally like your website to show up on the first page of google search and the only way you can do that is by using certain keywords that trigger the placement algorithms. Simply make sure your website uses the correct keywords throughout your text, putting in links to other pages, naming your page titles and URLs correctly, and employing images and videos. These will get you a higher ranking and easier visibility.
Because your website is your first impression for a prospective customer, you want to give them your best impression, the answers to what they are looking for and a multitude of reasons to bookmark your site so that they come back to it again and again. Your content should be original and interesting and very well written. You want it to be of value to the visitor. Perform a regular update to the website by adding a weekly blog and connecting it to all of your social media accounts and pages.
Make sure you use a host for your website that is very secure. You don’t want your site to be hacked. Your online information is yours and you want to keep it that way. You will also have to get into the habit of changing your passwords and updating other security measures on a regular basis
.
And finally, your design and style needs to be friendly and interesting to online viewers. Think of how many websites you have gone to over the last month and how many times you glanced at the homepage and moved on… quickly. Think about what made you jump away and then, design your page to NOT do that! A visitor will linger on a page if they like what they see. They will travel from the first page to the next if they are interested and they will look at everything you have to offer if they are engaged. To get them to the point of complete engagement, you layout needs to be organized for scanning the content. Break up the text into sections with subtitles so that the reader can see what an overview look is about. Use bullet points and highlight important words or phrases.
The key to spreading your online visibility and establishing business credibility is a well-built website that reflects your products and services in an organized, modern, and aesthetically pleasing design. We at Everest Direct Mail and Marketing, can help you boost your online presence by creating an original website, fit to your business’ specific needs. We know that no two businesses are alike – so we won’t just throw your content into a basic pre-created template. Our experienced web designers will work with you to make sure each page reflects your products, services, and anything else you’d like to include. We guarantee we’ll provide you with a website you will be proud of, that reflects your professionalism, pride, and hard work you put into your business.
