So your small business has a website. That’s great! It means people are able to find you online. But a plain old website isn’t going to do much more for you. The next step is to figure out how to get potential customers to stay on your website once they’re there and fill out a contact form, call your business, purchase your products, or schedule services with you. We’re here to help!
Your company’s website needs a handful of important features if it’s going to get customers to click through different pages and take action. Here are the top 10 essential elements your business’s website needs in 2019:
Website Essential #1: Call-to-Action (CTA)
A call-to-action is your website’s way of asking for a visitor’s business. It’s not a demand, but more of an invitation for potential customers to take action and gain the benefits your business has to offer. CTAs are commonly included on the home page of your website near the top of the page so that customers can easily see it. Most businesses opt to use call-to-action buttons (displayed above) as they stand out without being disruptive to the other content on the page.
Website Essential #2: Mobile-Friendly Layout
Web traffic analysis of 2018 showed that around 60% of online activities were performed using a mobile phone or tablet. Desktop-only users are now the minority, which means if you haven’t yet optimized your website to look its absolute best on mobile, this should be at the top of your list! Users don’t want to have to zoom in and out on your website to read text and view images that were meant for a large desktop screen, and will navigate away from your page rather quickly if it’s clear your website can’t provide them with an ideal mobile experience.
Website Essential #3: Attractive Logo
Your logo, at the very least, should be a solid representation of your brand. It can be as simple or as intricate as you desire, but it should be unique, eye-catching, and fit well with your company’s industry and purpose. Feeling stuck with an outdated and dull logo? Re-branding is a great way to modernize your business and spark new interest in your company!
Website Essential #4: Photos of Your Business
Customers enjoy feeling familiar and connected with the companies they purchase from. Boost brand loyalty and trust by including high-resolution photos of your employees and team members, office or store interior, events you sponsor or attend, and anything else that promotes a friendly and comforting vibe to potential and current customers.
Website Essential #5: Links to Your Social Media Pages
When visitors browse your web page, most will want to know where they can find you elsewhere online. Internet users of today spend a large chunk of their online time on social media platforms, so linking your social pages with clear icons on your website’s home page is a great way to gain followers and expand your reach.
Website Essential #6: Easy-to-Read Font
Some businesses get so wrapped up in their brand style and website design that they don’t consider the readability of their pages. It’s important to remember that the majority of your website visitors will be accessing the pages via mobile browser, so medium-sized fonts that are simpler in style typically work best for small business websites.
Website Essential #7: Fast Page-Loading Speeds
Your potential customers may be online lackadaisically clicking around to fight boredom, or they could be in a hurry to find what they’re looking for as quickly as possible; either way, a web page that takes more than a second or two to load will send a potential new lead right to their browser’s back button at lightening speed. Today, we are more accustomed to getting instant gratification, and not having to wait for much of what we want and need. A fast website with quick load times will keep customers on your page and you’ll greatly reduce the risk of losing them to other businesses with better speeds.
Website Essential #8: Informative Footer
Footers like the one above are common on websites all across the internet, and visitors looking for key information will often scroll to the bottom of a business’s homepage just to quickly find this information upon their first visit to the website. Got a newsletter? Invite visitors to subscribe! E-mail address? Phone number? Include them here! This is also the perfect place to include your social media buttons or links.
Website Essential #9: Customer Reviews & Testimonials
Yelp and Google reviews are wildly popular for offering consumers a look inside the business before they decide to spend their money. Adding your best customer reviews and testimonials to a page of your website gives your new leads a chance to see proof of why they should give you their business.
Website Essential #10: Location & Service Area
One of the first things a potential customer wants to know about your small business is if they are in your service area. This information should be available to them on your homepage, without them having to navigate and click through multiple pages in order to find it. Add a map towards the bottom of the page with a brightly-colored pin at your business’ location, and supplement it with a text box that includes your address and a list of the geographical areas you that you serve.
Is Your Business’s Current Website Lacking? Advantage Can Help!
The professional websites we build for our clients include the essentials above, plus plenty of other helpful features that enable them to get more website visits and generate more leads than ever before. Reach out to Advantage Internet Marketing‘s friendly team of internet marketing and web design experts today to get started on your company’s brand new website!