Why only four? Yes, there is more I could include in a list like this but I felt it was best to focus on the “must have” items that I’ve seen missing from many small business websites. Whether you’re working with a designer or building it yourself, if you want your website to be an effective marketing channel for your business then make sure it follows these four rules.
Make it mobile-friendly.
Did you know that in 2014 over 55% of web traffic originated from mobile devices? If your website isn’t optimized for mobile devices like phones and tablets you are missing out on potential business, plain and simple.
In recent years mobile-friendliness has been accomplished using “responsive” design. Responsive websites will reorganize depending on the browser size being used to view the site. When viewed on a mobile device like a phone, a responsive website repositions elements to be viewed better vertically, text is larger and easier to read, and the menu and links are easy to touch with a finger.
If you’re not sure if your site is mobile friendly or not, a good way to check is to look at it on a phone. Hold the phone vertically and then look at your site. If your site looks exactly the same as it does on your desktop or laptop, but only much smaller, then it is most likely not mobile-friendly.
Optimize for search.
Just having a website isn’t enough. You also have to make sure it can be found on search engines like Google or Bing. I’ve redesigned and reviewed quite a few small business websites over the last year and I’ve been surprised to find that most of these sites were missing basic search engine optimization features. These include:
- An XML Sitemap. This is a document for use only by search engines to help them better index the pages of your website.
- Meta titles and descriptions. These are page titles and descriptions that search engines use when showing search results about your site. While meta titles and descriptions don’t necessarily factor into search rankings, they are used by sites like Google and Facebook as the information provided about your site in search results. You want to make sure you have control over this information because if you don’t, Google and others will make their own decisions about what to display.
- H1 and H2 content headings using relevant keywords and phrases. These can be used in the titles of your pages or headings of paragraphs and do factor into search rankings. The headings in this article are examples; behind the scenes each heading is surrounded by the “H2” tag and will be looked at by Google/Bing for relevancy to search terms.
- Mobile-friendly design. Did I forget to mention earlier that Google now includes mobile-friendliness as a factor in search rankings?
Put a call to action on your home page.
Your home page is an important piece of real estate however I’ve seen many small businesses that don’t use it to their advantage. Resist the temptation to tell people about your mission statement or the history of your business on your home page. While this may be important to you, most people visiting your site are probably more interested in your services or products. Instead, give your visitors a way to take action immediately.
A good example is special promotions; if you’re running a special offer don’t just tell people about it and hope they’ll take you up on it, give them a sign up form or “register now” link right there on the home page. Those visitors who are interested will mentally thank you for making it so quick for them to get started, and those who are on the fence may decide to more forward because it’s easy to do so.
Keep it simple.
The best and most effective websites incorporate what’s known as good web “usability.” Usability is a fancy term for making it easy for people to quickly find what they’re looking for. Think about why you visit a website…odds are usually you’re looking for something specific. If you can’t find it quickly you’ll just move on to another site.
Two areas to focus on are your navigation menu options and your page layout. Take a look at your menu options. A good rule of thumb is that you should have no more than six main menu options because your visitors can get overwhelmed by having to choose from too many. The menu labels should be simple, generic and easy to understand. If you sell books, for example, make the menu link “Books” instead of something confusing like “Our Library.”
The same applies to the layout of your pages. People tend to scan web pages so don’t let them get too cluttered. Large blocks of text, too many links, and too much crammed into a single page makes it difficult for people to find what they’re looking for.
Again, there is much more I could say about what you should and should not do when building a small business website and I’ll probably cover more in future posts. But consider these four rules as critical to the success of your website.
Brian Rugg
Vice President, Think Big Go Local, Inc.
My focus is on web site design and usability, search engine optimization, and content strategy. More than just building a flashy website, I strive to make sure my work accurately reflects our clients’ brand and message to help drive sales.