In today’s digital world, a well-designed and user-friendly website is necessary for every small business. Not only does it serve as a virtual storefront, but it also helps you connect with potential customers and showcase your products or services. This week’s article will take you through the ten critical steps to building an unbeatable small business website that delivers results.
1. Choose a Memorable Domain Name
A memorable domain name makes it easy for customers to find your website and remember your brand. Aim for a short, catchy, relevant name representing your business. Use a reliable domain registrar to secure your desired domain name that won’t charge you an arm and a leg. If you’re paying more than $30 a year for a .com.au domain, you’re being ripped off! Ready to register your domain?
2. Fast & Reliable Hosting Provider
Your website’s performance and security depend on a reliable hosting provider. Uptime, fast loading speeds, and robust security are necessities to rank your new website on Google. If your website runs slow or, even worst, gets infected by malicious code, Google will de-rank your website. Another essential factor to consider is bandwidth. Some less-than-reputable hosting providers will take down your website if you go over your allotment and ask you to pay large bills to get it back up. Therefore, ensure your hosting provider offers unlimited bandwidth, like our standard website package.
3. Plan Your Website’s Structure
Draft your website’s structure by identifying the pages you’ll need and organising them logically. Easy user navigation is essential to make the customer journey fast and productive. Your potential for making sales or getting people to fill out a contact form is significantly increased if it is easy for them to find and use.
4. Design with Your Brand in Mind
Consistency is critical when designing your website. Utilising your brand colours, typography, and logo to create a cohesive visual identity that reflects your business is absolutely essential. This helps build brand recognition, trust with your audience, and consistency across multiple platforms. One of the worst things you can do for your brand is not be consistent. If you need a brand identity document that outlays all your colour hex codes, font styles and logo variations, get one produced today.
5. Prioritise User Experience
A great user experience (UX) keeps visitors on your site. Ensure your website is easy to navigate, mobile-responsive, and has fast loading times. Clear calls-to-action and concise, informative content also contribute to a positive UX. The long and short of it is that you want your potential customers or clients to use a beautiful-looking website that prioritises them while giving them the content and information they need to make informed decisions.
6. Optimise for SEO
SEO or Search Engine Optimisation is a crucial aspect of website design and layout. With correct and relevant SEO, your website will rank on Google. Your new website needs proper headings aspects, image descriptions and alt inputs and, most importantly, great content. If you need help or more time to dedicate to SEO, contact us to handle it or join one of our SEO coaching sessions.
7. Incorporate Engaging Visuals
Visual content can help convey your brand’s message and keep visitors engaged. Use high-quality images, videos, and infographics to showcase your products or services and to break up text-heavy pages. Using custom-made graphic design that is unique to your business throughout your website is essential. This excellent custom content will ensure you stand out from the competition and will only add to your brand’s UX.
8. Implement Clear Calls-to-Action (CTAs)
CTAs guide visitors toward the desired action, whether making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or contacting you for more information. Ensure your CTAs are clear, visible, and compelling. Another factor that can help customers engage with your CTAs is animation. When a user hovers over a button or image and it moves elegantly, they are 68% more likely to engage with your CTA.
9. Integrate Social Media and Contact Information
Promote your social media channels on your website to encourage visitors to follow you and provide easily accessible contact information. This fosters connection and makes it easy for customers to contact you. Just ensure you choose suitable social media for your business. Refrain from overloading your clients by having too many accounts. Instead, choose two to three that make sense for your industry.
10. Monitor, Analyse, and Improve
Regularly monitor your website’s performance using tools like Google Analytics. Then, analyse the data to identify areas of improvement and implement changes accordingly. Doing this helps you stay ahead of the competition. In addition, it ensures your website remains effective in the future as design trends change. In fact, Monitor, Analyse and Improve is a mantra that can be used accorss your entire business, from staff management to sales procedures and growth stratergies.
Conclusion
Building a successful small business website takes time and effort, but by following these 10 key steps, you’ll be well on your way to creating a powerful online presence that attracts customers and drives growth. If you need more time to learn to build an engaging small business website for your Perth Business, then the answer is easy. Reach out to us here, and let us show you how easy we can make it.
