Everything we’ve discussed so far has been customer-facing, which is helpful in creating a wonderful user experience. But what are some of the elements you should consider on your end, in the control room? We’ve certainly gone more in-depth on this topic in the business website ultimate guide. But for those of you just looking for a quick checklist of things to consider, the following will get you off to a good start. 3 CMS Tool A content management system (CMS) helps organize and retain all of the content that is on your website. Even if you take a post down after its related event or holiday, you can store it within the CMS should it be needed again later. Many CMS platforms have hundreds of customizable add-ons for any use case. For example there are countless popular Wordpress plugins for e-commerce stores. 3 SEO/Optimization Tool SEO software tools help you word content in such a way that it attracts the most visitors possible. Keyword optimization helps you utilize the words other people are searching so as to lead them directly to your website. 40. Site Analytics Analytics tools help you understand who is coming to your site and how much time they’re spending on it. This kind of insight is great for analyzing the effectiveness of certain pages or content for the purpose of changing failing strategies. 4 Website Hosting Similar to a domain name, websites cannot function without a host. If you’re using a website builder, you won't need to worry about a web hosting provider as your site is probably hosted through them, and you don’t have to worry about finding a host externally. 4 Content Descriptions
On the back-end, your website should offer you the option of adding meta descriptions to content and updating its title. This is useful for improving SEO, as adding in certain words in the meta description will make your site appear in certain searches. Avoid These Features on Your Company Website Among multiple sources, a few things are clear: Do not upload video content directly to your site, as it increases the likelihood of error. Instead, use video hosting websites, such as YouTube, and embed the video to your site. Auto-playing videos is also bothersome to some. Avoid using elements that require Adobe Flash Player, as not every visitor is able or willing to download the corresponding software. Stay away from background music. Many consider it bothersome to forcibly listen to music they did not choose. Next Steps for Your Business Website There are certainly more elements to consider, but there’s no need to bog you down as you’re just getting set up. The aforementioned thoughts and advice should get you started on what we hope will turn into a beautiful, functional and successful website. You can then begin to consider web design trends and overall user experience to breathe life into your business website's essential features.
What pages should my website have? After choosing a domain, this is the next question online entrepreneurs and small business owners ask when they are developing their website. On this page, we’ll detail the most important pages your small business website needs. Best Web Hosts for Small Business Websites A dependable web host is vital to your small business so choosing one is an important decision. Reliable web hosting ensures your visitors have access to your products and services when they need them most. Here are the top five web hosts for new websites you should consider: Bluehost: Best Overall Web-Hosting DreamHost: Best Shared Hosting A2-Hosting: Best Hosting for Speed SiteGround: Best Hosting with Live Support WP Engine: Best Managed WordPress
What Pages Do You Need on Your Small Business Website? When it comes to content creation for a newly created website, every business is unique and needs something different. But, there is a set of pages that all websites must have because visitors (your potential customers) have expectations of the information on your site and where to find it. Here are a few questions you need to ask yourself before producing your website content: What pages do I need on my website? What should I put on the homepage? Do I need a privacy policy page? Should I have a testimonials page? Do I really need a company blog? On the “about” page, should I talk about myself or the company? 13 Pages Your Small Business Website Must Have Homepage About page Services page Products page FAQ page Testimonials/reviews page
Contact page Blog Press/latest news page Privacy policy page Terms and conditions page Sitemap “Page not found” page This is the list of the most common pages and information we believe every website should have. Homepage homepageThis is the page most people will see first, and as such, it should tell everyone who you are and what your company does. The content on your homepage should be intriguing enough to capture the attention of your visitors within seconds. Your homepage needs to be well-designed, load fast and look professional. There are studies that show that you have 0.05 seconds to convince people stay on your website. What to include:
A short description of who you are and what you do, a brief explanation of your services and products, and perhaps some bullet points on how you can help your potential customer or client. Read more: How to create a homepage that converts List of examples of good homepages About page about pagePeople do business with other people, and visitors want to learn a bit more about who the people are behind the company. The about page is often one of the most visited page on any website. This page should give a brief summary of who you are, your company history and what isolates you from the competition. What to include:
A summary of your company, whom it employs (with biographies and pictures of the staff, or just yourself if you are a sole proprietor), any special achievements you received, and the ways you differ from others that provide the same product or service. Read more: 9 tips for making an about page that works for your brand How to write an about us page Services page (if you offer services) services pageHere you can list details about the services you provide. Begin the page with a summary of your services prior to outlining them. If your services are vast and their descriptions are quite extensive, consider dividing them into sections, as well as adding a link to a landing page, where readers can learn more about a particular service.
What to include: A synopsis of services presented, bullet points of services with short explanations, links to learn more about specialized services (if you desire), the advantages of using your services, and how they differ from the services your competition offers. Read more: Why you need a dedicated services page Products page (if you offer products) products pageThis is your chance to offer details about the products you sell. Begin the page with a short summary of your products before listing them. If you sell multiple products and have extensive information on each product, consider dividing them into categories and adding a link to their product pages. What to include: An outline of products available, short descriptions of each product, links to product pages that contain more information, what the customer can expect by purchasing those products, and why customers should buy those products from you, rather than your competition. Read more: 25 must have pages for your ecommerce website FAQ page
faq pageThe FAQ page is your space to answer the most frequent questions you are asked. The frequently asked questions (FAQ) page will tell everyone – on one page – what they need to know. This will save you time answering those same questions on an individual basis. Provide honest answers for each one. Your answers should be a call to action, and persuade a potential customer to take the next step and buy whatever you’re selling. What to include: The most common questions you are most frequently asked should be on this page. Such questions should also remove any doubts a customer may have, in order to make them feel secure enough to make a purchase from you. Read more: How to design the perfect FAQ page Testimonials / reviews page testimonials reviews pageThis is your chance to show off positive reviews your company has received. Where possible, include photos and contact info of the author (a link their social media account, not their personal phone number). This will add authenticity to each testimonial. Anyone can write a review, but those with photos of real people that can be traced to an actual source credibility and establishes trust.
What to include: A brief paragraph of praise from customers, perhaps as long as a sentence or two. Include photos and contact info of the reviewer, preferably with a headline above each testimonial, to catch a customer’s eye. Read more: 11 testimonial page examples Contact page contact pageYour contact page show potential customers all the ways they can get in touch with you. It is also important to have your phone number, email address and physical mailing address on the footer throughout all of your website pages, where possible. If you need to create a custom email address, our guide here will show you how. What to include: All of your social media accounts, your mailing address, phone and fax number, email address, and even your business hours. Some companies prefer using a contact form instead of listing their email address for spam prevention purposes.
Read more: How to make the perfect contact us page Blog blog pageThis isn’t a page per say, as a blog is the sum of all blog posts. A blog is a website, or a section of a website, made up of topically related blog posts (like journal entries). Blog posts are usually listed in reverse chronological order with the most recent blog post appearing first. If you have a small business website without a blog then you are seriously missing out! Think of your blog as your greatest and most affordable marketing tool. A blog drives traffic and leads/sales. A survey by HubSpot found that 57% of businesses who blog have generated a lead from it. A blog gives your company a voice, it creates a place where you can tell your company’s story, share your expertise and engage with your customers. What to include: First and foremost you need to do a bit of strategy work, you need to know why you are starting a blog and who you are blogging for (your target audience). Next you need to map out what your blog should be about, i.e. what your should write about and the topics to cover. Think of how you write and the language you use, most of us don’t like to read academic journals so don’t be afraid to be conversational and casual in the way you write. Quality trumps quantity. Studies suggest that long-form and in-depth blog posts outperform shorter shallow blog posts, when it comes to search engine optimization and getting shared on social media.
Read more: Why you should use WordPress Beginners guide to small business blogging Press / latest news page press latest news pageThis is where you can address the media. Here, you should post links to articles written about your business, press releases, advertisements, videos featured on other platforms, and any other recognizable commercial accomplishments. What to include: Ways the media can get in touch with you, links to download PDFs and photos, and press releases. If you have a media or press kit, post it here, so the media can learn more about your company prior to further publicity. Read more: How to create a good press kit How to create a good press page on your website Privacy policy page privacy policy pageA privacy policy is must for every website, a privacy policy lets the visitor to your website know what you’ll do with the personal information they give you. On this page, let the site visitor know how any personal information and data (e.g. advertising, cookies, emails etc) collected will be used, and whether or not it will be shared with third parties. You must strictly adhere to your privacy policy.
What to include: What data you collect, how it is collected, how visitors can obtain a copy of the information you obtain, if such content will be shared, and if so, with whom. Read more: Why you need a privacy policy page List of free privacy policy generator tools 1 Terms and conditions page terms or use pageSimilar to the above mentioned privacy policy, a terms of conditions page is usually a must for most websites. This is a page the outlines the “rules” a visitor to your site must agree to abide by in order to use your website. What to include: You want to include the rules and guidelines and how your website functions. For example, which country’s laws that governs the agreement, an intellectual property disclosure that states that your website is your property and that it’s protected by copyright laws, and a links to other sites clause that you are not responsible for or have control over third party links on your website. Read more: Free terms and conditions generator tool 1 Sitemap page sitemap pageSitemaps come in two formats. XML sitemaps (these are made for search engine bots, helps search engines discover your content and is good to have from an SEO standpoint). HTML sitemaps are made for your “human” visitors (and what we refer to here.) A sitemap page is a non-fancy index page that lists all the web pages you have on your website. For example check out our sitemap page on https:///sitemap/.
What to include: Your sitemap page should include links to all of your web page, your pages and blog posts. Your sitemap page should be located in the footer throughout all of your website pages, where possible. If you use WordPress then there are plenty of plugins that can help you build an HTML sitemap. Read more: Free HTML sitemap WordPress plugins 1 “Page not found” page page not found pageA page not found page (technically speaking it’s called a “404 error” page) is a page your visitors get directed to when a webpage no longer exists, have moved or has expired. Because a 404 error page can be a standard HTML page, you can (and should) customize it any way you want. What to include: Tell visitors clearly that the page they’re looking for cannot be found. Your page not found page should include a link back to your homepage, you could also include a search form.
Read more: Why you should create a page not found page How to create the perfect 404 page not found page 1 5 Other Must-have Pages for Your Small Business Site You Should Consider Depending on what type of website you have, you may also consider including the following pages: Search result page Jobs or careers page Events page Advertising information page Affiliate link disclosure page Summary What type of pages do you have on your small biz website, and what type of pages do you think everyone small business website owner should include on their website? If you need to create a website, we guide you step-by-step through the process using WordPress.
Did you know that over 70% of people will research a company on the web before deciding to buy or visit, yet 46% of small businesses in the U.S. don’t have a website? If you don’t have a site, people can’t research your company and determine if you’re a good fit for their needs. If you find yourself asking, “Do I need a website for my business?” we’ve got the answers you need. On this page, we’ll provide you with six reasons you need a website for your business and three tips for building your website. Keep reading or contact us at 888-256-9448 to speak with a strategist about our web design services, including our 30-day website design plans! Why you need a website: 6 compelling reasons If you don’t have a website for your business, you’ve probably asked yourself: Do I need a website? While it may seem like your company thrives without one, there are many reasons to have a website. Let’s look at six reasons to build a website for your business: People expect you to have one If you’re looking for the most straightforward answer to the question, “Do I need a website?” it’s this: People expect you to have one. With the growth of the digital age and ability to find information online, people assume that your business’s information is online, too. Your audience expects you to have an online presence, and just having a Facebook page isn’t going to cut it.
Website DevelopingYou need a website because people expect you to have one. If someone searches for your business, they expect to find your site in the search results. Without a website, people will view your company as less professional and trustworthy and won’t feel comfortable becoming a client. So, if you’re asking, “Do I need a website for my business?” the answer is yes. You need a website because your target market expects you to have one so they can learn about your company and become customers. People search for you online Let’s imagine that two friends are together, having a cup of coffee and talking. The one friend, Marta, tells the other, Louise, about your business, as she visited the other day, and gives a glowing recommendation to visit your company. When Louise returns home, she decides to look up your organization to learn more. When she searches for your company’s name, she can’t find a website. She trusts her friend Marta, but she’s skeptical because she can’t find your site to learn more about your company. This scenario happens to companies that don’t have a website.
You need a website for your business because people search for your business online. Whether a friend recommends you or they drive past your location, people will look up your company to learn more. Without a website, these potential customers can’t get valuable information, and as a result, won’t visit your store. Consider this fact, too: 93% of online experiences start with a search engine. Most people start their browsing sessions by searching. To help these searchers find your business in search results, you need a website for your brand to help guide those leads to your company. People want basic answers fast One of the most important reasons to have a website is that your leads want information fast. Do you find yourself overwhelmed with phone calls of people asking about your hours of operation, your specials, or how your business works? If so, it’s time to build a website for your brand.
You save your company from answering basic questions when you provide the information on your site. A website stops you from answering questions like, “What time do you close?” or “What specials do you have today?” dozens of times a day. When you invest in building a website, you create an opportunity to provide all the essential information in one place. You post information like: Hours of operation Specials Products/services Prices Location Company background Contact information Take a second to think: How many people call your business related to the information above? If you find most inquiries surround these topics, you need a website for your business. A website lets you provide essential information to your audience fast, which creates more time for you to focus your energy on running your business and answering more complex questions.
People use your website to engage with your business If you’re still asking the question, “Do I need a website for my business?” here’s another excellent reason to invest in building a website: Engagement. Engagement plays a critical role in turning leads into life-long customers. Over 63% of consumers use a company’s website to engage with the brand. In this digitally-run world, you must create a robust online presence to engage prospects and get them to become customers. Without a website, you’re missing these critical moments where you can turn leads into conversions. An informative and visually-appealing website goes a long way in helping your business attract prospects, delight them, and turn them into clients for your company.
People want to do more than buy products online Many business owners ask themselves, “Do I need a website for my business?” and respond with “I don’t sell my products online, so there’s no point.” We’re here to squash that myth. A website isn’t just for ecomm
Decide your domain name. Your domain name is one of the most important features of your website. It’s the URL you’ll share with your current and potential clients and promote on social media. Therefore, you want it to be descriptive and easy to remember and type in. Try to keep it short, and steer clear of abbreviations, acronyms, and numbers, if possible, to avoid customer confusion. You also need to decide your top-level domain, or TLD. This is the suffix at the end of your domain name, such as .com, .net or .biz. However, nontraditional TLD names have grown in recent years. These TLDs can be based on location, such as .nyc, or type of business, like .marketing, .agency or .law. While these can be descriptive, .com is still the main go-to. Read our article on choosing a nontraditional TLD for more information. Once you’ve selected your domain name, you’ll need to confirm its availability and purchase it through a domain registrar. These are some popular domain registrars: Domain.com Wix GoDaddy Squarespace
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As you select your new domain name, check copyrights to make sure you’re not infringing on anyone else’s protected name. If your preferred URL is already taken, you can call the company using it and ask to buy it from them or use a domain buying service from a company like GoDaddy, which will reach out to the owners of your desired domain name. This service costs around $70 per domain. TipTip: Your domain name is how users will find your website, so choose one related to your business or services. Choose a web host. Every website needs a host – a server where all its data is stored for the public to access at all times. Hosting your own website is probably too large an expense for your small business, so you’ll need to select an external host. Depending on your budget, you can choose from two different routes. A shared web host, the less-expensive option, means you’ll share a server with other sites. Dedicated hosting costs significantly more, but it means that you get your own private server and won’t have to compete with other sites that could drag down your speed. Some web builder platforms, such as Squarespace and Wix, include web hosting in their monthly packages. These are some options for web hosting services:
Web hosting offers: 1&1 Ionos: This web hosting company is known for its cloud hosting and offers other cloud-based options such as servers and site backup. Plans and capabilities vary but pricing plans typically begin at $15 per month. A2 Hosting: A2 Hosting offers both shared and dedicated hosting options. New customers can acquire a Lite hosting plan, which is sufficient for some small businesses, for as little as $91 per month for the first year. DreamHost: DreamHost offers three hosting plans tailored for managed WordPress websites: DreamPress, DreamPress Plus and DreamPress Pro. Costs generally start at $195 per month. If you’re looking for free website hosting options, it’s important to remember that hosting a website is by no means free for the hosting company. Therefore, they may employ other methods, such as placing banner ads on your website, to compensate for the free hosting. When choosing a host, consider how well that host can answer questions about its server locations and reliability, said Jim Cowie, former chief scientist at cloud-based internet performance company Dyn.
“It’s good to ask, ‘Can you show me how close you are to the major markets my customers are going to be in?'” Cowie said. “Any good hosting provider should have the tools to show you … measurements of their performance.” As your business grows, you may find that you need to upgrade to a different web host, or even work with multiple providers to handle your website traffic and operations. Cowie advised keeping a close eye on your site performance and the experience your customers have using your website so you can determine your hosting needs. [Read related article: How to Choose a Web Hosting Service] Build your pages. A good website is more than a static homepage. You’ll want to create multiple pages dedicated to different aspects of your business, such as a detailed catalog of your products or services, or a blog section for company updates. As for your overall website, make sure each page supports the site’s primary goal, has a clear purpose and includes a call to action (e.g., “learn more,” “sign up,” “contact us” or “buy this”).
A contact page, as your customers’ direct link to you, is one of the most important sections of a website, so include as much information as you can (your business’s phone number, email address and physical location, if you have one). It’s also a good idea to include information about the founding team or staff on an “about” page so customers can put real names and faces to your brand. If your business doesn’t already have a logo, hire a graphic designer or create a logo yourself to use on your website, business cards, and social media profiles. This will help your clients identify your company quickly and easily on the web. Justin Zalewski, director of product design at innovation consultancy Studio Science, offered a few basic tips to help you create efficient, content-rich pages for your website: Be clear about what your business does. Distill what your business does into a clear, concise statement and lead with that. Visitors should be able to understand what you do within seconds of landing on your homepage. A few well-written pages are more effective than dozens of poorly written ones.
Place strategic calls to action. CTA buttons tend to perform best when they match the information on the page. For example, a “buy now” button makes sense on a product page, but a “contact us to learn more” button might be more appropriate on the “about us” page. Similarly, a page listing customer reviews might have a button that takes the reader to the available plans and pricing. Automate speed improvements. Set up as many automated speed improvements as you can. If you use a content management system (CMS), installing the right plugins will cache parts of your site so visitors don’t need to download anything more than once. For WordPress users, Zalewski recommended WP Super Cache or W3 Total Cache, which compresses files and allows visitors to browse your site more quickly. Some of the more technical aspects of caching and compressing files may require a web development partner if you’re not particularly tech savvy. Avoid stock photos. Tacky stock photography is the quickest way to turn a great site into a mediocre one. If you’re looking for photos to use on your page, it’s best to use a picture of your actual team or office. Pheil added that high-quality images of the products increase sales, so invest in good photos of the products or services you sell.
TipTip: Build informative and engaging web pages that offer a positive user experience. Strategically place CTAs to encourage users to engage in specific behaviors. Set up your payment system (if applicable). While this step won’t apply to all business websites, companies that want to offer the option for customers to pay online will need to integrate electronic payment systems with their websites. The easiest way to do this is through e-commerce software or small business credit card processing solutions. Many web hosts offer an in-house shopping cart or integration with e-commerce programs. Do some research to make sure you get a solution that’s easy to work with and flexible enough to meet your needs now and in the future.
Did you know?Did you know? E-commerce businesses need to make payment processing available on their sites, whether through their e-commerce software or a third-party processor. Test and publish your website. Before announcing that your site is live on the web, make sure it works on all major browsers, like Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Safari and Chrome. Click through each page and feature on every browser to ensure images show up, links are correct and the format looks smooth. This will take some time, but the effort you put in now will save you future complaints from visitors who can’t access certain features. Also, make sure that your website displays properly on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. This step should not be overlooked, as Google and other search engines have migrated to mobile-first indexing, which prioritizes the performance of the mobile version of your website when it comes to search engine rankings. Another important feature to incorporate from the very beginning is an analytics program. By setting this up before the website is live, you can iron out any issues and coordinate a proper setup, Shaoolian said. Once the website is live, you can monitor page performance and determine why a certain page is successful or unsuccessful based on your analytics.
“You can look at which of your marketing campaigns are showing the most conversions, and examine any metrics such as city, browser, etc. to shed some light on how your audience is interacting with your site,” Shaoolian said. “If you … implement this [after] the site goes live, you’ll miss out on valuable data and have no way of seeing which elements of your site are successful or unsuccessful right from the start.” Market your website on social media. Social media such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Pinterest is the best way to increase your audience reach and alert customers to what’s going on with your company. Whenever you update your website, post about it on your social media outlets, but balance that with genuine, nonpromotional engagement. Also include links to your social media on your website. The most common places to do this are the footer or the ancillary bar (the extra menu in the top right that often holds login or contact links). Learn more about social media for business in our marketer’s guide. Invest in search engine optimization (SEO).
Submitting your website to major search engines will help direct potential leads to your page, as will deploying a strong SEO strategy across your site. Shaoolian said that defining title tags, meta descriptions, and Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs) that are relevant to your company and aspects of your industry can boost your rankings in search engines for the products or services you’re trying to market. “Building relevant keywords into your content from the very first phases of your website, and having a strong focus on SEO from website launch, will help you generate traffic early on,” he said. As you build your business website, these important on-site SEO tactics can help you improve your ability to move up the ranks. (There are also off-site SEO tactics you can pursue). Choose the right keywords. Select keywords that are relevant to your business and that your potential customers are searching for online. Visit our guide to SEO small business tools to find a solution that can help you identify, analyze and track these keywords.
Publish fresh content. Regularly publishing on a blog, adding to your website and updating your content all signal to search engines that your site is relevant for the chosen keywords. Choose topics that are relevant to your business and exciting for your industry to position yourself and your business as thought leaders in the space. Place internal and external links. Internal links are the links on your website pages that lead to other pages on your site, while external links are your links to other popular, high-authority websites. Place these links strategically throughout your website. Make sure that the links make sense, fit the context and provide value to the reader; otherwise, linking may count against you. Optimize images. Compress images so they don’t slow down your site’s loading time. Take the same approach with video, making sure that any clips load quickly and don’t slow down how your site moves overall. Images’ metadata, such as tags and captions, is also an opportunity to work in your keywords and tell search engines what the images are about. Maximize your site speed. Pages should load as quickly as possible; within a few seconds is ideal. You can use free site speed checkers such as Google’s PageSpeed Insights to see if your site is performing optimally.
Maintain your site. Staying relevant is important, so update your website frequently with blog posts on current industry events, new products and offers, and company news to keep visitors coming back to the site. You should also check at least monthly to ensure your software and all add-ons are up to date. Pheil said that if your software is not up to date, it’s in danger of being hacked, even if your website host’s security is strong. If you don’t have time to do this yourself, delegate the task to a trusted employee or a freelance website manager. Starting a website for your business is a low-cost investment that can help you establish credibility and reach a wider customer base than you ever could through traditional marketing techniques. If you keep your website updated with fresh, current content and are quick to address technical issues, you’ll never have to worry about “not existing” to your current and future clients.
Key takeawayKey takeaway: Keep your site up to date with fresh content and timely information to ensure it remains professional and top of mind for your audience. Business website FAQs How much does a business website cost? According to research by Mark Brinker, the average cost of a small business website ranges from $4,000 to $10,000. The reason for such a wide range has to do with the type of business involved and the amount of work the business owner is willing to do. The difference between taking your own pictures and hiring a photographer can be a few hundred dollars. The same can be said for professional copywriting for web content and so on. How long does it take to create a business website? Website creation can range from days to months, but if you’re looking for an average, we can turn to DreamHost, a leading web host provider for small businesses, and they say the typical website building process runs between two and four months.
What should you include on your website? Every business should include pertinent information like who you are, what you do and how you can be contacted? Your site should also include the products or services you sell, along with an easy way for customers to make purchases online. Businesses may want to include mission statements, reviews, testimonials and a regularly updated blog that provides valuable information regarding the company and industry. Nicole Fallon and Stella Morrison contributed to the reporting and writing in this article. Some source interviews were conducted for a previous version of this article. Your website should be designed keeping in mind your audience and should ensure that it improves user experience. Your website is one of the most important aspects of your brand’s online presence and it's important that you design it right. Your website is also the place where you nurture your bottom-of-the-funnel leads to get conversions. So, you can’t afford any website fails that might cause your prospects to bounce off your website.
Your website should be designed keeping in mind your audience and should ensure that it provides good user experience. There are a lot of other benefits of a good website design for both your business and your audience. In this post, we will discuss why good website design is important from your audience’s perspective. Sign up for Free membership Brand image Your website is a reflection of your brand and everything that it stands for. It is usually one of the first things people look at to get to know a brand and therefore helps form the first impression. Your website design elements, like colours, fonts, images, etc. all form your brand identity. Therefore, you need to select those elements carefully and keep them consistent across your website.
Look at the screenshot of Coca Cola’s homepage, for example. Coca Cola's homepage See how the brand has used the company’s distinctive red colour on a white background. Red and white are the colours of the company’s logo, packaging of their traditional coke bottles, and a lot of other brand elements. It maintains this consistency because these two distinctive colours represent the brand and people associate these with the company. Here are some of the web design elements that you should select carefully and then use consistently. Colour If you already have some brand colours that align with your logo and other brand identity elements, then you should use those on your website as well. However, if you’re starting from scratch, then you can use this study to understand colour associations.
Website DevelopingFor example, if you want to associate your brand with trust, then you should use the colour blue. And, if you want consumers to think that your brand produces high-quality products, then the colour black can help you form that image. Similarly, depending on what brand associations you want to form, you can select your brand colours. You can then select colours that evoke certain emotions or thoughts in people. For example, blue is the colour most associated with trust and black with quality. Layout As a rule of thumb, keep your layout simple, clean, and designed in a way that draws attention to the most important parts. Also, the number of menu options or the elements in a drop-down menu should be determined based on your audience preferences. You can experiment with a few different layouts and conduct split testing to understand what works best with your audience. One of the best examples of cluttered website design and how it affects usability is shown below. The website is very difficult to navigate and the lack of a grid design makes it messy and chaotic.
Arngrn website Now, let’s compare it with another website with a cleaner layout to see how it could have been structured instead. This website also focuses on the products and services but has organized the various web elements well. The use of a grid format further adds structure to the page. Concrete LCDA Fonts and typography The general rule for selecting a font is that it should be easy-to-read and clearly visible on the background colour that you selected. The actual selection, however, should depend on your audience. Younger people, for example, often prefer more fun and stylish fonts. Older people might prefer clean and simple ones that are easier to read. Your font should also reflect your brand personality and whether you want to look professional or fun and youthful.
Here’s an example of a brand that does this well by their use of a creative font to reflect their own creativity. Laura Worthington Design Website accessibility You should design your website in a way that makes it accessible to all. It will not only make the experience better for your audience but is also required by law. This means designing your website so that people with disabilities can also access it. This is, however, easier said than done. Most website designers and agencies are not even aware of this, let alone able to design an accessible website. So, whether you build your website yourself or use a web design agency, make sure that you design an accessible website. While this can be extremely challenging, you can make the most of solutions like accessiBe to simplify the whole process. The company provides you with a code, which you can install so your website will instantly display an accessible interface.
The accessiBe AI also scans and analyzes your website to ensure that it complies with all accessibility-related laws (ADA, WCAG, Section 508) in just 48 hours. This will help you avoid any accessibility-related lawsuits, (yes that’s a thing), and include a larger number of people in your audience. 10 common website customer experience mistakes guide Download our Free Resource – 10 common website customer experience mistakes This guide reveals examples of poor website design from different sectors which are commonly seen, but best avoided. Access the 10 common website customer experience mistakes guide Site navigation One of the biggest benefits of a good website design for your audience is that it can help them navigate the site easily.
The ultimate goal of anyone visiting your website is to quickly find the information that they are looking for. And, your website design should make that process easier and help visitors navigate your website without getting lost. The more user-friendly your website is, the more likely it is that people will engage with your content and take the desired action. A good website design should aim to provide the best user experience, which ultimately translates into conversions. Airbnb, for example, has a very simple, yet engaging website design where you can find everything right from the homepage. Whether you want to make a booking or explore the different types of accommodations and experiences provided by Airbnb, you will find an option on the homepage.
Airbnb As you scroll down the page, you will find more options to explore. From top-rated Airbnb stays to travel recommendations, you have it all. Airbnb recommendations So, if you know where you want to go, you can simply make a booking from the top of the page. If you’re just exploring your options, you can simply browse through and get inspiration for your next trip. See how brilliant that strategy is? Airbnb does not just make it easy for people to book stays but also encourages them to plan a trip if they’re not yet sure. And, all of that can be done right from the homepage. No messy drop-down menus, no page hierarchies, just a clean and simple all-you-need-to-know-you-find-it-here kind of design.
Website design is an important matter and should not be taken lightly. A well-designed website can help you form a good impression on your prospective customers. It can also help you nurture your leads and get more conversions. But, more importantly, it provides good user experience and helps your website visitors access and navigate your website with ease. So, if you are looking for designers to create your website, vet them well and ensure that they are capable of designing user-friendly and accessible websites. If you already have a website, you can always conduct a site audit and optimize it to provide a better user experience and to improve accessibility. When it seems that social media rule the Internet, you might ask yourself, “Do I need a website?” The answer is yes, and I’m here to tell you why. In 2019, 70-80% of people were researching companies online before visiting it/making a purchase, and the same percentage of customers could be lost to small businesses without a website. And when the world suddenly required more online presence than real-life presence the following year, having your own website became even more crucial.
If you’re not convinced yet, and you’re curious about the advantages of websites over social media profiles, read on! Here are five ultimate reasons why you need a website in 202 TABLE OF CONTENTS Having a website makes you look professional and increases trust. Most people don’t trust a business without a good website. A clean, modern page that is regularly updated and pops up in search engines is an instant credibility boost. Potential customers will trust you more and have all the information they need in one place. In a digital age, we expect businesses to have a web presence. Even the smallest local business or organization needs a website–from a simple one page site for a mom and pop shop to a full website for a local church congregation. Anyone can easily create a Facebook page or an Instagram account with fake data, your name/handle, and the profiles may look identical to yours. So, a professional business website legitimizes your company in ways no other social media channels would.
And if you don’t have a business and you’re considering creating a place for your portfolio, to show off your work, or something that represents yourself to send to recruiters when looking for a job – there’s not a more professional way to stand out from the crowd than having a personal website. Example of a professional-looking website template available in Website Builder Example of a professional-looking website template you can fully customize and launch in minutes with the Website Builder A business website will bring you more customers and increase conversions. Well-optimized websites can pop up on the first page of Google search attracting new customers that weren’t looking specifically for you but were just researching a topic. There’s a much bigger chance of someone ‘stumbling upon’ your website than a social media profile. Also, comparing you and any competing business or offer is easier when all the parties involved have a pro website. If you invest in Google Ads or Facebook Ads, you can direct the traffic straightway to your website. On the page, your leads will have all the details to make an informed purchase, and a call-to-action to motivate them. Pages with built-in popup forms and web push notifications encourage website visitors to stay in touch and come back. Adding contact forms and chats to a website. Adding contact forms and a live chat to a website. A website is available 24/7, every day of the year, from anywhere around the globe – that makes your business stay on customer’s minds even after business hours. Websites broaden your reach, and promote you without a break.
Creating your own website is much easier and less expensive than you expect. If you believe that to create a stunning website, you need to be a tech-savvy expert of web design, or have a team of engineers and a professional web designer on speed dial – I’m happy to say – you’re wrong! Creating websites has never been easier, and there’s no coding required. If you choose a website builder, like the one from , you can choose a domain (which will be registered and configured for you), pick a professionally designed, mobile-friendly, and device-optimized website template that suits your needs, and head to a drag-and-drop editor. All you need to have beforehand is good copy. But wait, there’s an even easier way. You can use AI to create an amazing website in an instant! You answer a few simple questions about your needs, and you have an AI-created personalized website. All for free.
CREATE A FREE WEBSITE Or try our AI builder here. As for the costs, if you choose , you can have a website along with essential email marketing features, all completely free. Plus, you get limited-time access to our premium features such as automation, autoresponders, funnels, chats, and more for as little as $15 a month. Learn How to Build a Website from Scratch in 9 Easy Steps. A website gives you full control over the medium. There are two sides to this reason. The first is your freedom of expression on a website. You can’t customize your social media presence to the same extent. All your assets have to be the same format as everybody else’s. If you really want to stand out, a website is the answer. The absolute design freedom gives you an opportunity to present your brand in a unique way and showcase its voice and personality. The control over your image on a webpage isn’t only about the graphics and layout. You decide what to put out there, so if you have any cool online reviews, customer testimonials, videos, etc., they can all share the space on your site.
If you have a gallery or a portfolio, this is also a chance to display it in a creative way. You can redesign and change anything on a website any time you want. Designing a professional website. Designing using pre-made website templates. The other side of ‘full control’ is that a webpage is your owned media. You don’t have to follow the ever-changing rules of social platforms, and while the platforms themselves come and go (remember MySpace?) your website can stay in business forever. Also, any Internet user can engage with your website without creating an account. Read more related content: Best website ideas for 2022
erce businesses — it’s for everyone. You don’t need to sell products online to have a website. Even if you sell products that are too big to plop into a virtual shopping cart, like construction equipment or building materials, a site still benefits your business. A website will attract prospects to your company. Why? People want to do more than buy products online. There are three main types of search queries on Google: Informational: Users conducting searches to learn about specific subjects or topics. Navigational: Users looking for a specific page or website. Transactional: Users searching with the intent to purchase products. Want to guess which type of search query is most popular on Google? It’s informational.People conduct dozens of searches every day, looking for information.Whether it’s asking a simple question like “How old is Betty White?” or something more in-depth like “How to build my credit score,” people conduct queries looking for information. Even if you don’t provide products online, you provide information. Whether it’s information about your business or content on topics in your industry, you have an excellent opportunity to educate your audience. When people feel informed, they’re more likely to convert. Since you provided the helpful information they needed, they’re more likely to choose your business when it comes time to convert because they trust you. Again, you don’t need to be an ecommerce business to have a website online. When created properly, a site will benefit any company by providing prospects with helpful information, which can grow brand awareness, trust, and more. People see you with your competition Do you know who isn’t asking the question, “Do I need a website for my business?” Your competitors — because they already have one. If you want to remain competitive, you need a website. Your competition is one of the most important reasons to have a site.
Without a website for your business, people who search online will find and visit your competitor’s company instead. Did you know that 50% of users visit a store within a day of conducting a local search? That means, if you don’t have a website, these users are visiting your competitors instead. You’re missing an opportunity to attract new leads and drive them to your business. If you want to remain in competition with your competitors, you must invest in building a website for your business. It will help you establish an online presence among competing companies and drive more leads to your organization instead of the competition. How to make a website for your small-to-midsize business If you’re asking, “Do I need a website for my business?” and now answering “Yes,” it’s time to get started on building your business’s dream website. Check out these three quick tips for creating your dream website:
Choose who’s going to develop it First, decide who will make your website. You have three options: Do it yourself Hire a freelancer Partner with a web design company So, which option is best for your business? That’s up to you to decide! If you’re looking to save money, you can build your website yourself. If you don’t have experience with web design, don’t put the pressure on yourself to try and create a website. It will cause you more stress trying to find the right design and add the correct elements to your site than if you hire a web design company. In the case that you don’t do it yourself, you can hire a freelance web designer.
The biggest problem with freelancers is that you typically hire them for one-time needs, like building your design or updating your design. That means you still need someone to monitor your site for errors after the design is up, which comes at an extra cost to your business. If you want ongoing help with your website, a web design agency may fit your needs best. A web design agency will help you build a custom website unique to your business and help you monitor your design to ensure everything operates correctly. A potential downside of web design companies, however, is overpaying for services. If you hire a web design agency, you need to be proactive by researching web design costs and creating a realistic budget for your company. By setting a budget, you’ll know which web design companies will work well with your business. Additionally, a good web design company will offer transparent pricing and only provide you with the services you need, like . The right web design company will also respect your budget and deliver a website unique to your business.
Pick your web design style One of the best reasons to have a website is that it creates an opportunity for you to showcase your unique brand. When you’re designing your website, you’ll want to choose your website’s design style. Establish your web design style by creating a brand style guide. Your style guide helps you stay consistent with web design and implement your brand’s unique style into your website. Stick to colors that reflect your brand. If you have a color scheme already, like on traditional marketing pieces, carry that style over to your website. Establish colors and styles for every aspect of your site, including: Website colors Font colors
Font styles Image/video styles Copywriting style Whether you want a rustic or elegant brand identity, establish a brand look that works for your business. Use search engine optimization (SEO) Great web design goes beyond the visual aspects. You need a website that appears in search results and drives traffic to your page. With search engine optimization (SEO), you’ll help your beautifully designed site appear in more relevant search results. SEO helps people find you when they search online. From keyword integration to page speed optimization, SEO enables you to create a discoverable website that’s easy for your audience to browse. This strategy helps you compete with competitors too.
If you’re using SEO, you’ll achieve better rankings in search results, which will allow you to outrank your competitors. You’ll drive more traffic to your website and earn more leads for your business. If you choose to outsource your website design, partner with an SEO web design agency. An SEO web design agency will know how to build a beautifully designed site and optimize it for search engines. To learn more about SEO, check out our guide, SEO From Start to Finish! We don’t want to tell you about the work we do, we want to SHOW you. View Our Portfolio WE’VE BUILT OVER 1,100 WEBSITES in a variety of industries.
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