We tend to get a lot of business owners asking us what the elements are to a successful, lead generating business website. In order for a business website to be truly effective in generating leads there are some standard, yet powerful, features that should be in place. We have put together a handy checklist of features you will want to make sure you have implemented in order to maximize your websites potential.
Domain Name: While some business owners may opt for a keyword rich domain name such as NorthernIllinoisPlumber.com, we at Think Big Go Local feel it is much more important to brand the domain name with the name of the business. MattsPlumbingCompany.com, for example, tells the visitor that it is a plumbing company owned by Matt. In the past it was advantageous to use keyword rich domain names, however, Google has recently changed it’s algorithm and has devalued the keyword rich aspect of domains therefore it is no longer necessary to do this. It is much more important that you use your domain name to create a unique identity branded to your particular business.
Business Name: Your business name should be prominently displayed at the top left of the website, as well as at the footer. It is preferable to use your logo at the top whenever possible for branding purposes.
Phone Number: It is essential that you make it easy for your customers to contact you. It is ideal for you to include your company phone number in the upper right corner of the website, on all pages. This way, your potential customers or clients can easily call you without looking throughout the website to find your contact information.
Your Business Address: Ideally this should also be prominently displayed. It is customary to include this at the footer (bottom) of each page and in some cases, on the home page as well. Again, making it easy to find you is the key here. This is all the more important when you are a business that serves customers at your location.
Google Map: Another essential feature should be a Google map. While a home based or business that does not serve customers at it’s location may not need this, it is imperative that a Google map is used when you expect to have customers visit your business.
Service Information: A bullet point list of your services should be featured prominently somewhere on your homepage and additionally, on an inner services page as well. You will want your site visitors to easily find a list of your services.
Service Area: Your visitors should be able to easily find out if you service the area that they reside in. By featuring this information on the homepage you will make it easy for prospective customers or clients to determine if you can help them.
Trust Symbols: Are you a member of the Better Business Bureau, Chamber of Commerce, or a trade organization? You should feature logos from these organizations on your homepage as they serve a great purpose in building trust with your website visitors.
Calls To Action: Put simply, a call to action is basically telling the visitor what you would like them to do while they are on your site. First, determine what the goal is of your website. Is it to generate calls? Get people to fill out an information request? Whatever that goal may be, you can push your visitors towards completing that objective with calls to action. Some examples of a call to action would be Call Us Now or Request More Info.
Testimonials: This is critical! Great testimonials provide social proof and build trust with website visitors. You can either solicit these testimonials from your customers or find testimonials that have been left by previous customers on Yelp, Google+, etc. You will want to either get their permission to post the testimonial online or change the name of the customer when posting. In most cases it is perfectly acceptable to leave off the last name or just use their initials.
Pictures of your Staff/Business: While not necessary, this always helps to build trust with your visitors. Websites filled with stock photos feel cold and impersonal. Pictures of your staff and/or the outside of your business shows visitors that you are a real business with real employees.
Easy To Use Contact Forms: I can’t stress enough how important this is. A contact form should ask for the most important details, however, it should not be long or overbearing. It should be easy to fill out.
Social Media Links: Whenever possible, link to your social media accounts at Facebook, Google +, Twitter, etc.
Video: If possible, consider creating a video or slideshow that highlights the features of your business.
Below we have put together a graphic of a simple, yet effective business website built specifically for capturing leads and prospects. If you find that your particular business website does not have these elements or would like to start from scratch with an affordable lead capture website you can contact us. We offer business websites with all these features from only $497. A small investment today will reap you big benefits in the long run.
