CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, brought the very first website to life in 1991. To say it was “bare bones” would be a gross overstatement. As seen here, it was less than thrilling — nothing more than black text on a white background with blue hyperlinks.
While that may have worked in the early days of the internet, it’s not going to cut it now. Today, your website is often the first touchpoint a potential customer has with your brand, and if you can’t capture their interest in 15 seconds or less, it’s sayonara, sweetheart.
A bad website can be worse than no website at all. Don’t skimp on any of these must-have website features!
Business Information
We’ve run across far too many small business websites that either don’t include pertinent business information or require a visitor to go on a frustrating scavenger hunt to find it.
It should be common knowledge: Your name, address, phone number and business hours must be loudly and proudly displayed on every page of your site. There’s no excuse to overlook such a basic step!
Reviews and/or Testimonials
For a small business with limited marketing dollars (or pennies, as the case may be), reviews are your lifeblood. And your website is the perfect place to show them off!
Whether you proudly point out that you have a five-star rating on Yelp or copy and paste your praise, be sure you’re showing your website’s visitors that you’re worth doing business with.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
A FAQ section not only saves you from having to answer a thousand calls and emails each day, but it also helps tremendously when it comes to voice search.
Not sure what to add to this section? Put yourself in your customers’ shoes. If you stumbled upon a cool business just like yours, what would you want to know about it?
About Us Section
Whether you’ve consciously written it or not, your business has a story. Share it with the masses on your website in your “about us” section.
This is the place to tell visitors who you are, what you’re all about and why you do what you do. Done right, it can help set you apart from the competition and show off your business’s personality!
Social Media Links
While your website might be the first contact you have with a potential customer, ideally it won’t be the last. Give them more ways to keep in touch by adding buttons that take them directly to your Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn pages.
Don’t forget to include social media sharing buttons, too. If people think your site is cool enough to share with their friends and family, who are you to argue?
Blog
A blog is a key part of any small business website. Make yours easy to find and peruse. Update it regularly and include multiple types of posts.
Not a fan of slaving over a keyboard trying to find your next blog topic? Try experimenting with alternative types of media such as podcasts, whitepapers or e-books.
Mobile Capabilities
We really shouldn’t have to say this as 2020 unfolds, but if your website isn’t optimized for mobile, it needs to be. In the U.S., mobile devices account for a whopping 63% of Google’s visits, and excluding 63% of your potential customers is generally frowned upon.
If your visitor is forced to pinch, tap and/or zoom to find what they’re looking on your site, chances are good they’ll find another site instead.
Take Your Small Business Website Into the 21st Century!
As a busy small business owner, it’s easy to overlook your website in favor of other, more pressing pursuits. But websites aren’t a “set it and forget it” proposition; they’re meant to grow and change with the times or they risk becoming obsolete.
Whether your website needs a few special touches or a complete overhaul, Mischa Communications can help you make your website wonderful. Let’s get started!