Are you getting your website up for success? Every business owner worth their salt knows the importance of a good website for their business, even if it’s just a static one-page design, leading people to contact you directly and giving you a digital home to reinforce your visibility. But even with that one page, is it really enough, and have you paid enough attention to the important foundations of a good website?
These days, there are a multitude of different aspects and functions you need to consider when creating a perfect business website.
Your online presence, or lack thereof, can be hugely impactful, both in a negative and positive way, and it is vital that you get it right from the very beginning to avoid a negative impact on your business and potential conversions because there is a lot you could be missing out on in terms of traffic and engagement if your website isn’t hitting the mark.
Let’s take a look at some tips that can maximize your impact and deliver the optimum website for your business needs.
It Needs To Be Mobile Responsive
Globally, 58% of web traffic comes from mobile users, and if your website isn’t designed to accommodate the device it is being viewed on automatically, this will be a massive turnoff for the majority of the population.
These findings, as noted on Statistica, show that these figures are pretty consistent across the world, with over half of people accessing the internet doing so via mobile devices, so it doesn’t matter where in the world you operate or the countries you can view and engage with your website, it needs to be responsive.
To reinforce this further, over one-third of people do their shopping online via mobile devices, and a 2023 survey found that 57% of people will turn off a slow-loading website if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load. While 3 seconds might seem like too short a length of time to wait, in reality, web speed needs to be faster than 2 seconds for optimal results, or you potentially are losing customers.
People Need To Find It
Before you get bogged down in SEO and all that goes with an SEO-optimised step, people need to know what they’re looking for in relation to your brand online. This means the website address or your URL needs to match the business name or be as close as possible so it makes sense for what people will search for.
You need to not be too similar to other business names, and you need to have a URL that, if not the company name, is easily connected to your business so people know what they’re looking for. Ideally, you will check if a domain name is available before deciding on a business name as well as social media accounts, too, so everything can match, but if this isn’t possible, put some consideration into it so it can be searchable for you.
Navigation Matters
How many times have you, as a user, felt frustrated by a website’s complex navigation or the absence of a search function? Your customers feel this frustration, too. So don’t be that business. So, ensure your website’s navigation is clear and intuitive, avoiding the pitfalls that put you off other websites.
You need top-level navigation bars with clearly structured menus and categories that make sense. The best approach is to limit this to 5 clearly labeled tags, with related pages organized correctly within the relevant tag.
You need to be able to give users a clear route back to the home page or to the top of the page if they can scroll continuously.
You need a prominently placed search bar, be it in your menu or navigation bar, a sidebar, or at the top of the page. Don’t hide it; let people know they can conduct their own searches and not rely on your pre-determined navigation to move around.
Avoid Clutter
Keep your website fresh and clear, avoiding the temptation to overload it with unnecessary information or distractions. Do you really need your Instagram or X feed scrolling through the bottom of your page or in a side bar? Or can you keep it simple with just your social icons? Remember, less is often more when it comes to web design.
Don’t be afraid of white space on a web page; it is actually beneficial. White space allows users to scroll to find what they need within the page and not get distracted by pointless things.
Your pages need a good balance of text and graphics, and you should ensure that everything you present is done in bite-sized pieces so as not to confuse or overwhelm the user.
Errors Are A No-No
Any inaccurate information, mistakes in pricing, spelling, information, grammar, anything and everything is bad. If your site is loaded with errors or looks like the information provided on it is sloppy, and there’s no thought or attention to detail, you can kiss goodbye to conversions and your brand reputation.
You need to proofread every single page prior to publishing it and fact-check any data or details you use so people understand and can be confident you are providing legitimate details and information relevant to your website.
You Need Contact Points
One of the main reasons people search companies online is to find contact details. One of the main turnoffs for people is hard-to-find or limited points of contact. Again, don’t be that business.
You need to provide multiple points of contact for your customers and be available when they’re available as much as possible. The standard 9-5 doesn’t work for everyone, and people need to submit queries when it’s appropriate for them, not when it is appropriate for you.
While you need a contact phone number, email address, physical location address, and your social media accounts listed as standard, having options such as staffed times for queries to be responded to can be beneficial, as can outsourcing to customer service centers that handle queries for you on a more extended basis.
Chatbots can be massively beneficial in resolving customer queries; try this visual chatbot maker platform that can assist you with a custom-built chatbot, enabling you to serve your customers better. Chatbots can be programmed to answer commonly asked queries or provide information such as opening items, delivery and shipping details, or anything else.
They can direct people to the most appropriate person to answer their questions, which is an excellent way to bost customer service.
In addition to this self-service, FAQs can help people find what they need when no one is around to take their call, so they’re not left hanging while they wait for someone to get in touch or to contact you directly.
It Needs Clear CTAs
CTAs or click-to-action points are points on the page that entice a customer to do something. They can be many different things and they don’t always need to result in a sale, but they do need to be present. Click to add to basket buttons work for ecommerce sites; email sign-up pop-ups can be effective collecting email addresses, buttons to join a waiting list, receive discounts, and so on.
Keep It Simple
People do not want to jump through hoops to find the information they need. They don’t want to constantly click off ads or pop-ups or navigate many unrelated texts to get to what they need. Nor do they want to be overwhelmed with various types of fonts, colors, etc., in your vain attempt to make details stand out. Because they will stand out, but for all the wrong reasons.
Each web page needs to be clear, concise, and easily scannable so the reader can easily understand what they need.
Ideally, paragraphs should be no longer than 6 lines, and you need short sentences. Everything needs to be relevant, or it needs to be left off. The easier it is to read and use, the higher it will rank, which is only going to work in your favor.
Consistent Branding
Just like you would pay attention to the branding and styling of a physical brick-and-mortar location, you need to do the same with your website. This is your digital home, and it needs to be representative of your brand, too, to help you create a cohesive image and branding across all of your main online and physical channels and locations.
Consider the colors to see how your font and artwork will present in different formats and sizing, and ensure that you stay as constant as possible so you are easily recognizable regardless of where the customer finds you. Because if people aren’t sure if it’s your website, they do not know what we are selling.
If you use confusing messaging or different colors, tag lines, etc., in different places, you will send out mixed messaging, which doesn’t bode well for anyone. So think carefully about your branding, what it represents, and what you want it to say, and ensure a consistent theme runs through everything.
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